Objective: Methotrexate (MTX) can be used as an alternative for patients with Crohn's disease (CD) who are intolerant of thiopurine. This retrospective study aimed to provide some clues about MTX treatment in Chinese patients with CD.
Methods: Medical records of 27 adult patients with CD who were treated with MTX between 2012 and 2017 at Renji Hospital were reviewed. MTX was administered at 15 mg or 20 mg intramuscularly once per week. The remission and response rates and adverse reactions of MTX were recorded and analyzed.
Results: Thirteen (48.1%) of the patients achieved remission for more than 12 months, whereas four (14.8%) responded clinically. Eight (29.6%) patients discontinued MTX due to adverse events. The mean age of those who maintained remission was significantly younger than that of those who did not ([35.62 ± 10.99] years vs. [45.43 ± 11.93] years, P < 0.05). The pretreatment C-reactive protein (CRP) level was higher in the group who maintained remission than that in those who did not ([17.20 ± 17.26] mg/L vs. [6.98 ± 5.66] mg/L, P < 0.05).
Conclusions: MTX is effective and relatively safe for patients at doses of 15 mg/week or 20 mg/week and may be an alternative therapy for patients who are intolerant of thiopurine. Elderly patients with CD and patients with normal pretreatment CRP level may have a reduced response to MTX.
Keywords: C-reactive protein; Crohn disease; inflammatory bowel diseases; methotrexate.
© 2018 Chinese Medical Association Shanghai Branch, Chinese Society of Gastroenterology, Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.