Assessment of hepatic fibrosis by transient elastography in rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving methotrexate

Methotrexate (MTX) is commonly used in the treatment of diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) but, its hepatotoxicity potential, always has been a major concern. The aim of this study is to determine the rate of liver fibrosis by transient elastography (TE) method and its relationship with cumulative dose of MTX and duration of treatment, in rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving MTX.

This cross-sectional study included RA patients receiving MTX for more than 6 months. Hepatic fibrosis was determined by TE on the basis of the rate of liver stiffness. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the results of liver stiffness measurement. Demographic, clinical and biochemical parameters were compared between the two groups. Correlation of the cumulative dose of MTX and duration of MTX treatment with the liver fibrosis was assessed.

The study included 51patients, with a mean age of 52.53)±9.95) years. 44(86.3%) patients were women. The cumulative dose of MTX was less than 4000 mg in 45 (88.2%) patients and more than 4000 mg in 6 (11.8%) patients with a mean treatment duration of 54.14±(40.94) months. The median (IQR) value of liver stiffness was 4.70 (3.60 – 5.50) kPa. The presence of liver fibrosis was detected in 11 (21.6%) patients. There were no significant relationships between liver fibrosis and cumulative dose (P= 0.21) of MTX and also duration of MTX treatment (P= 0. 30). The multivariate analysis demonstrated that only increased serum level of ALT was associated with presence of liver fibrosis (OR = 1.07; 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.13; p = 0.01).

According to the results of this study severe hepatic fibrosis was not common in the patients who had received methotrexate. Increasing the duration of methotrexate administration and the cumulative dose of the drug had no effect on the incidence of hepatic fibrosis. Increased serum ALT levels in RA patients were associated with high rate of liver stiffness and increased risk of hepatic fibrosis.