Comparative evaluation of the effects of synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and biological agents on clinical course, the rate of development of destructive changes, and quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

There are few studies of the efficiency of therapy with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and biological agents (BAs) in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (eRA) as part of a treat-to-target strategy. Objective : to investigate the effects of DMARDs and BAs used in combination with methotrexate (MTX) on clinical course, quality of life (QoL), and the evolution of articular erosions and synovitis in patients with RA. Patients and methods . The investigation enrolled 151 patients with eRA. At the first stage, the patients received DMARDs. At the second stage, 101 patients with persistent moderate and high disease activity were prescribed MTX at a dose of 25 mg/week or 20 mg/week in combination with infliximab (INF), or 20 mg/week in combination with rituximab (RTX). At the third stage, 20patients with persistent high disease activity were switched to tocilizumab (TCZ) therapy. Results and discussion . At 12 months of DMARD therapy, a clinical remission was more often achieved in the MTX group. The use of INF or RTX significantly improved QoL in the patients. That of TCZ as a second- and third-line drug led to a significant decrease in DAS28-CRP. Conclusion . There were no statistically significant differences between the INF and RTMgroups with respect to the time course of changes in CRP, ESR, circulating immune complexes, and the indicators of X-ray progression, which confirms the possibility of switching from a first-line BA to its subsequent lines with an increasing clinical disease activity. TCZ can be a second- and third-line drug when the effect of therapy with other BAs escapes.