Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42458252›Full record

ArticleBMC immunology2026

Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of Iguratimod combined with traditional anti-rheumatic drugs in treating rheumatoid arthritis: a retrospective study.

Xueqin Chen, Zongwen Shuai, Jiangli Xia, Xixi Ma, Linwei Hu

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Article in BMC immunology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Xueqin ChenDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, Anhui Medical University, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 238000, Anhui Province, China.
Zongwen ShuaiDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, Anhui Medical University, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, No. 218 Jixi Road, Shushan District, Hefei, Anhui Province, 230022, China. cxueq01112@163.com.
Jiangli XiaDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 238000, Anhui Province, China.
Xixi MaDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 238000, Anhui Province, China.
Linwei HuDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 238000, Anhui Province, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that may lead to progressive joint damage and disability. Although methotrexate is a first-line treatment, some patients have inadequate responses or adverse reactions. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of methotrexate combined with iguratimod versus methotrexate monotherapy in patients with RA.

methodsBased on existing medical records, the clinical data of 80 patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated at our hospital between October 2021 and October 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. This was a single-center, retrospective, non-randomized controlled study, and the investigators were not involved in treatment allocation. According to the actual treatment regimens documented in the medical records, patients were divided into a conventional treatment group, which received methotrexate, and a combination treatment group, which received methotrexate plus iguratimod. Treatment efficacy, bone metabolism, CRP, RF, ESR, immune function, and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. As the treatment regimens were not randomly assigned, the findings were mainly used to evaluate the associations between different treatment regimens and clinical outcomes.

resultsThe combination therapy group demonstrated significantly higher response rates for ACR20, ACR50, ACR70 and considerably higher levels of N-MID and T-PINP than the conventional treatment group following treatment. This group demonstrated significantly decreased levels of β-CTX, CRP, RF, and ESR compared to the conventional treatment group (p < 0.05). After treatment, except for the similar changes in CD4 + and CD8 + levels, the levels of IgG, IgA, and IgM in the combination treatment group were significantly lower than the conventional treatment group (p < 0.05). The combination therapy group showed a more significant drop in DAS28 values than conventional treatment group (p < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in adverse effects (p > 0.05).

conclusionIn this single-center retrospective study, compared with methotrexate monotherapy, methotrexate combined with iguratimod was associated with higher ACR20, ACR50, and ACR70 response rates, as well as greater improvements in inflammatory markers, bone metabolism indicators, and DAS28 scores, without a significant increase in the incidence of adverse reactions. However, because this study used a non-randomized design and did not include propensity score matching, the findings should be further validated in prospective randomized controlled trials.

Indexed as

Antirheumatic AgentsArthritis, RheumatoidChromonesMethotrexateSulfonamidesAdultAgedDrug Therapy, CombinationFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeAntirheumatic AgentsChromonesiguratimodMethotrexateSulfonamidesA dverse effectsBone metabolism related indexIguratimodImmune functionMethotrexateTreatment effect

Identifiers

PMID42458252
PMCPMC13670774

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.