1. High-Dose Intravenous Pulse Methotrexate in Patients With Eosinophilic Fasciitis.
- Author
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Mertens JS, Zweers MC, Kievit W, Knaapen HK, Gerritsen M, Radstake TR, van den Hoogen FH, Creemers MC, and de Jong EM
- Subjects
- Adult, Aged, Female, Hospitals, University, Humans, Immunosuppressive Agents adverse effects, Male, Methotrexate adverse effects, Middle Aged, Prospective Studies, Single-Blind Method, Treatment Outcome, Eosinophilia drug therapy, Fasciitis drug therapy, Immunosuppressive Agents administration & dosage, Methotrexate administration & dosage, Pulse Therapy, Drug methods
- Abstract
Importance: Eosinophilic fasciitis (EF) is a connective tissue disorder in which conventional treatment leads to disappointing results in a proportion of patients. Therefore, we investigated high-dose intravenous (IV) pulse methotrexate (MTX) as a treatment for EF., Objective: To examine safety and effects of monthly high-dose IV pulse MTX in EF., Design, Setting, and Participants: For this prospective single-arm study, we recruited 12 patients diagnosed with biopsy specimen-proven EF between 2006 and 2009 from the Department of Dermatology and Rheumatology at the Radboud University Medical Centre., Interventions: Intravenous MTX (4 mg/kg) monthly for 5 months with folinic acid rescue 24 hours after MTX administration., Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was improvement of the modified skin score at month 5 vs baseline. Secondary outcomes were durometry, range of motion, visual analog scale scores for disease activity, and 36-Item Short Form Survey health questionnaires., Results: Overall, 12 patients (11 women between 37-69 years old) received a median (range) monthly dose of 288 (230-336) mg MTX. Median (range) modified skin score improved from 17.5 (8.0-24.0) at baseline to 8.5 (1.0-20.0) at month 5 (P = .001). Secondary outcome measures improved significantly, except for durometer scores and range of motion of the elbows. Adverse events included gastrointestinal symptoms (n = 9), mild stomatitis (n = 5), and alopecia (n = 4)., Conclusions and Relevance: High-dose IV pulse MTX is a safe and effective treatment option in EF., Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00441961.
- Published
- 2016
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