Methotrexate in Giant-Cell Arteritis
Authors: Sarah L. Morgan, Graciela S. Alarcón
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2001)

Letters4 December 2001Methotrexate in Giant-Cell ArteritisSarah L. Morgan, MD, RD and Graciela S. Alarcón, MD, MPHSarah L. Morgan, MD, RDUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL 35294-3296Search for more papers by this author and Graciela S. Alarcón, MD, MPHUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL 35294-3296Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-135-11-200112040-00017 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:The article by Jover and colleagues (1) on treatment of giant-cell arteritis provides evidence for use of a corticosteroid-sparing agent in elderly women at high risk for complications from long-term corticosteroid use. We would like to clarify that the dosage of folic acid recommended during methotrexate therapy in this study (5 mg/d) is not universally accepted. The authors based this recommendation on work performed by our group at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (2, 3), as well as guidelines for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis from the American College of Rheumatology (4). However, neither the American ...References1. Jover JA, Hernández-García C, Morado IC, Vargas E, Bañares A, Fernández-Gutiérrez B. Combined treatment of giant-cell arteritis with methotrexate and prednisone. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 2001;134:106-14. [PMID: 11177313] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Morgan SL, Baggott JE, Vaughn WH, Austin JS, Veitch TA, Lee JY, et al . Supplementation with folic acid during methotrexate therapy for rheumatoid arthritis. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 1994;121:833-41. [PMID: 7978695] LinkGoogle Scholar3. Morgan SL, Baggott JE, Vaughn WH, Young PK, Austin JV, Krumdieck CL, et al . The effect of folic acid supplementation on the toxicity of low-dose methotrexate in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 1990;33:9-18. [PMID: 2405864] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. . Guidelines for monitoring drug therapy in rheumatoid arthritis. American College of Rheumatology Ad Hoc Committee on Clinical Guidelines. Arthritis Rheum. 1996;39:723-31. [PMID: 8639168] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL 35294-3296 PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoCombined Treatment of Giant-Cell Arteritis with Methotrexate and Prednisone Juan A. Jover , César Hernández-García , Inmaculada C. Morado , Emilio Vargas , Antonio Bañares , and Benjamín Fernández-Gutiérrez Methotrexate in Giant-Cell Arteritis Robert F. Spiera , Stephen Paget , and Harry Spiera Methotrexate in Giant-Cell Arteritis Juan A. Jover , César Hernández-García , and Benjamín Fernández-Gutiérrez Metrics 4 December 2001Volume 135, Issue 11Page: 1006KeywordsElderlyFolic acidMethotrexateRheumatoid arthritisRheumatologyToxicityTreatment guidelines ePublished: 4 December 2001 Issue Published: 4 December 2001 CopyrightCopyright © 2001 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...