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Preliminary Study on Acupuncture Combined with Grain-sized Moxibustion for Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis with Finger Joint Pain
Published on: May 16, 2025
[Rheumatoid arthritis, methothrexate, and pulmonary fibrosis: which evidences?]
Dorian Schaller1, Mathieu Nendaz, Cem Gabay
1Service de médecine, Groupement hospitalier de l'ouest lémanique, Site de Nyon, chemin Monastier 10, 1260 Nyon. dorian.schaller@ghol.ch
Abstract:
Pulmonary fibrosis is an extraarticular manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which appears between 20 to 40% of cases. MTX is an ordinary treatment used for patients with RA. It has been suggested in some studies that a link between the use of MTX and the appearance of pulmonary fibrosis exists. Furthermore, the chronic use of MTX has been associated with the development of hepatic cirrhosis. Adenosine, a key molecule in the anti-inflammatory action of MTX seems to have a pro-fibrotic effect in some experimental models, thereby suggesting a mechanism through which MTX could lead to a fibrotic process. However, in spite of these experimental models, clinical studies have not permitted to confirm the pathogenic role of MTX in pulmonary fibrosis.
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