Systematic review and meta-analysis indicate Methotrexate reduces pain in Osteoarthritis, suggesting the need for folate monitoring.
Key Points
To evaluate the effectiveness and nutritional implications of Methotrexate in Osteoarthritis treatment.
Conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis according to PRISMA guidelines.
Searched multiple databases for randomized controlled trials comparing Methotrexate with placebo.
Assessed the risk of bias using the Cochrane RoB 2 tool.
Methotrexate significantly reduced pain at 3 months (SMD = -0.33, p = 0.006) and 6 months (SMD = -0.53, p = 0.0004).
Improvement in stiffness was noted at 6 months (SMD = -0.48, p < 0.0001).
No significant improvement in physical function was found in primary analysis (SMD = -1.07, p = 0.09), but sensitivity analysis suggested modest benefit.