Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Individualized treatment strategy for patients with rheumatoid arthritis based on imaging evaluation

Fan Xiaoli¹, Fan Yanhua² , Wang Juan², Bu Shunlin¹, Chen Rong³, Pang Xiaoli⁴, Chen Mingliang¹, Wang Longxiang¹

¹Department of Radiology, Nanjing Jiangbei Hospital, Nanjing, China; ²Department of Ultrasound, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China; ³Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China; ⁴Department of Rheumatology, Nanjing Jiangbei Hospital, Nanjing, China.

For correspondence:- Fan Yanhua Email: fanyanhua102053@163.com

Accepted: 31 December 2023 Published: 30 January 2024

Citation: Xiaoli F, Yanhua F, Juan W, Shunlin B, Rong C, Xiaoli P, et al. Individualized treatment strategy for patients with rheumatoid arthritis based on imaging evaluation. Trop J Pharm Res 2024; 23(1):133-140 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v23i1.17

© 2024 The authors.
This is an Open Access article that uses a funding model which does not charge readers or their institutions for access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) and the Budapest Open Access Initiative (http://www.budapestopenaccessinitiative.org/read), which permit unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited..

Abstract

Purpose: To study the effect of individualized treatment strategy based on imaging evaluation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Eighty patients with RA of the wrist treated in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, China from January 2018 to December 2022 were assigned to control and study groups. Conventional methods were used for treating control subjects, based on RA laboratory index results, while the study group received individualized treatment based on RA laboratory index results and results of imaging evaluation. Before and after treatment, serum levels of rheumatoid factor (RF) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were assayed using immunoturbidimetry. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was determined by Wei method. Imaging examination - ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - was carried out in study group before and after treatment. Disease activity score 28 (DAS28) and score on the visual analogue scale (VAS) were evaluated before and after treatment, and the curative effect in the two groups was compared based on curative effect evaluation.

Results: In both groups, post-treatment values of RF, CRP and ESR were lower than the corresponding pre-treatment levels, but were significantly smaller in study group (p < 0.05). The DAS28 and VAS scores of the two groups after treatment were significantly lower (p < 0.05) than the pre-treatment levels, but the DAS28 and VAS scores were significantly lower in study group (p < 0.05). Treatment efficacy in study group (95.0 %) was significantly higher than in control patients (77.5 %, p = 0.0476). The results of imaging indicators showed significantly reduced post-treatment synovial thickness and joint effusion in study group patients when compared with control patients (p < 0.01).

Conclusion: Individualized treatment strategy for RA patients based on imaging results enhances curative effectiveness, reduces disease activity, relieves pain, and improves the quality of life of patients.

Keywords: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Imaging examination, Individualized treatment strategy