Efficacy of hydroxychloroquine combined with leflunomide in the treatment of elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis and its effect on blood lipid level

Abstract

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of leflunomide and hydroxychloroquine in elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Methods Eighty elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis from November 2016 to October 2018 in the 970th Hospital of Chinese PLA were divided into two groups by random number table method, with 40 cases in each group. The study group was treated with flunomide and hydroxychloroquine on the basis of routine treatment, while the control group was treated with hydroxychloroquine on the basis of routine treatment. The therapeutic effect and blood lipid level were compared between the two groups. Results The total clinical effective rate of the study group (82.22%) was higher than that of the control group (64.44%) with statistical significance (P 0.05). After treatment, the decrease of TG, TC, HDL-C levels and the increase of HDL-C levels in the study group were better than those in the control group, with statistical significance (P<0.05). Conclusions The effect of leflunomide and hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of elderly rheumatoid arthritis is remarkable, which is conducive to improving the body’s blood lipid level. Key words: Rheumatoid arthritis; Hydroxychloroquine; Leflunomide; Combination therapy; Therapeutic effect; Blood lipid level