Clinical outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis treated with infliximab: Hospital de San José, 2007-2008 Desenlaces clínicos en artritis reumatoidea tratada con infliximab: Hospital de San José, 2007-2008

Abstract

Objective: to describe the clinical results obtained in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who received infliximab during the period January 2007 to October 2008. Patients and methods: 240 clinical records of RA patients attended during the corresponding period were reviewed, of which 73 they had information available that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. We analyzed the clinical and sociodemographic characteristics, the behavior of the therapeutic response if there was one and the time of onset, the use of adjuvant drugs and the development of adverse events. Results: 73 patients were described, of which 89.04% were women with an average age of 49.7 years and evolution of RA of 12.0 (± 8.8) years, who received 3 mg / k of infliximab with an average number of doses of 9.1. The therapeutic response was obtained in 52.05% at 24.15 (± 19.5) weeks of treatment. In contrast, the remaining patients who still had no improvement and continued with the treatment, had an average of 26.65 (± 22.5) weeks with the medication. Therapy was suspended in 29 patients: 11 (15.06%) temporarily and 18 (24.65%) permanently. Conclusions: infliximab reduced the inflammatory activity in more than half of the patients of the present study with a low frequency of adverse effects. This response was documented with control in painful and inflamed joints. There was no positive relationship with the inflammatory markers, clarifying the low report of them in the reviewed clinical histories. Abbreviations: AR, rheumatoid arthritis; TNF-a, tumor necrosis factor; CAR, American College of Rheumatology.