Summary
People taking methotrexate (for inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis) have regular blood tests to check for certain side effects. Researchers have developed a tool to predict the likelihood of them discontinuing methotrexate due to these side effects, which could in future lead to less frequent testing for most people (68%) on methotrexate.
The tool uses information routinely collected by GPs. The study found that it could predict people’s risk of discontinuing methotrexate because of side effects. It was accurate for most people across different ages, inflammatory conditions, methotrexate doses and routes of administration.
The researchers say the tool could in future be used by GPs to identify people who need more or less frequent blood tests.
This article refers to the original research study Risk stratified monitoring for methotrexate toxicity in immune mediated inflammatory diseases: prognostic model development and validation using primary care data from the UK
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