Efficacy of Mycophenolate in Interstitial Lung Disease Associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Background: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a significant cause of mortality in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Existing studies on the efficacy of Mycophenolate (MPA) for RA-associated ILD are limited, with the largest study including only 26 patients. This study aims to evaluate the ef...

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Main Authors: Sindhuja Rajendran, Ashish Jacob Mathew, John Mathew, Ruchika Goel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: World Scientific Publishing 2024-01-01
Series:Journal of Clinical Rheumatology and Immunology
Online Access:https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/10.1142/S2661341724740845
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author Sindhuja Rajendran
Ashish Jacob Mathew
John Mathew
Ruchika Goel
author_facet Sindhuja Rajendran
Ashish Jacob Mathew
John Mathew
Ruchika Goel
author_sort Sindhuja Rajendran
collection DOAJ
description Background: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a significant cause of mortality in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Existing studies on the efficacy of Mycophenolate (MPA) for RA-associated ILD are limited, with the largest study including only 26 patients. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of MPA in stabilizing or improving lung function in a larger cohort of RA-ILD patients over an extended follow-up period. Methods: Patients diagnosed with RA-ILD and treated with MPA for [Formula: see text] 1year, attending our clinics between 2017 and 2023 were included. Data regarding demography, spirometry, HRCT and treatment were noted retrospectively at the diagnosis of ILD (baseline) and 6 monthly visits thereafter till last follow up. Data were collected on patient demographics, spirometry, high-resolution CT (HRCT) scans, and treatment regimens. The primary outcome was the change in predicted forced vital capacity (FVC) over the follow-up period, with a [Formula: see text] 10% decline considered as progression. Clinical improvements in cough, dyspnea, and HRCT findings were recorded as binary outcomes. Results: Of the 73 patients (58 females), 70% showed stability or improvement in FVC, while 18% experienced a decline. Clinically, 86% of patients improved or remained stable, while 12% worsened. HRCT results showed stable or improved disease in 34% of patients, 30% had worsening of fibrosis, while 36% did not undergo follow-up HRCT due to clinical stability. Physiologically - 52(70%) met the primary outcome of stability/ improvement in % FVC while 18% had worsening in % FVC. Use of rituximab was not associated with better outcomes. None of the baseline clinical parameters predicted better outcomes in univariate. The most common adverse events were dyspepsia and serious infections, occurring in 12% of patients Conclusion: MPA is an effective and relatively safe treatment option for RA-ILD, with 70% of patients achieving stabilization or improvement in lung function.
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spelling doaj-art-e804bb9f8f6b441594ae580d64d4b5102025-08-20T02:14:14ZengWorld Scientific PublishingJournal of Clinical Rheumatology and Immunology2661-34172661-34252024-01-0124supp0113013110.1142/S2661341724740845Efficacy of Mycophenolate in Interstitial Lung Disease Associated with Rheumatoid ArthritisSindhuja Rajendran0Ashish Jacob Mathew1John Mathew2Ruchika Goel3Christian Medical College Vellore, Vellore, IndiaChristian Medical College Vellore, Vellore, IndiaChristian Medical College Vellore, Vellore, IndiaChristian Medical College Vellore, Vellore, IndiaBackground: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a significant cause of mortality in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Existing studies on the efficacy of Mycophenolate (MPA) for RA-associated ILD are limited, with the largest study including only 26 patients. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of MPA in stabilizing or improving lung function in a larger cohort of RA-ILD patients over an extended follow-up period. Methods: Patients diagnosed with RA-ILD and treated with MPA for [Formula: see text] 1year, attending our clinics between 2017 and 2023 were included. Data regarding demography, spirometry, HRCT and treatment were noted retrospectively at the diagnosis of ILD (baseline) and 6 monthly visits thereafter till last follow up. Data were collected on patient demographics, spirometry, high-resolution CT (HRCT) scans, and treatment regimens. The primary outcome was the change in predicted forced vital capacity (FVC) over the follow-up period, with a [Formula: see text] 10% decline considered as progression. Clinical improvements in cough, dyspnea, and HRCT findings were recorded as binary outcomes. Results: Of the 73 patients (58 females), 70% showed stability or improvement in FVC, while 18% experienced a decline. Clinically, 86% of patients improved or remained stable, while 12% worsened. HRCT results showed stable or improved disease in 34% of patients, 30% had worsening of fibrosis, while 36% did not undergo follow-up HRCT due to clinical stability. Physiologically - 52(70%) met the primary outcome of stability/ improvement in % FVC while 18% had worsening in % FVC. Use of rituximab was not associated with better outcomes. None of the baseline clinical parameters predicted better outcomes in univariate. The most common adverse events were dyspepsia and serious infections, occurring in 12% of patients Conclusion: MPA is an effective and relatively safe treatment option for RA-ILD, with 70% of patients achieving stabilization or improvement in lung function.https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/10.1142/S2661341724740845
spellingShingle Sindhuja Rajendran
Ashish Jacob Mathew
John Mathew
Ruchika Goel
Efficacy of Mycophenolate in Interstitial Lung Disease Associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis
Journal of Clinical Rheumatology and Immunology
title Efficacy of Mycophenolate in Interstitial Lung Disease Associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis
title_full Efficacy of Mycophenolate in Interstitial Lung Disease Associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis
title_fullStr Efficacy of Mycophenolate in Interstitial Lung Disease Associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis
title_full_unstemmed Efficacy of Mycophenolate in Interstitial Lung Disease Associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis
title_short Efficacy of Mycophenolate in Interstitial Lung Disease Associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis
title_sort efficacy of mycophenolate in interstitial lung disease associated with rheumatoid arthritis
url https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/10.1142/S2661341724740845
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