Methotrexate, a common medication used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, has a newly recognised useful secondary effect to lower blood pressure and potentially reduces the risk of heart disease in people with this condition.
Methotrexate, a common medication used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, has a newly recognised useful secondary effect to lower blood pressure and potentially reduces the risk of heart disease in people with this condition.
A new study led by Flinders University and Southern Adelaide Local Health Network (SALHN) researchers, has shown that methotrexate significantly lowers blood pressure when compared to another arthritis drug, sulfasalazine, marking the first clear evidence of this effect in newly diagnosed patients.
Occurring in about one in 100 people, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common autoimmune disease which leads to inflammation and pain in the connective tissue of a patient’s joints.
Over six months, the South Australian and Italian researchers followed 62 newly diagnosed adults who had not yet started treatment.
Read More: Flinders University
