Evaluation of liver parenchyma with shear wave elastography in patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving disease-modifying antirheumatic drug therapy
Journal of Clinical Ultrasound, cilt.53, sa.1, ss.148-154, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 53 Sayı: 1
- Basım Tarihi: 2025
- Doi Numarası: 10.1002/jcu.23847
- Dergi Adı: Journal of Clinical Ultrasound
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, CINAHL
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.148-154
- Anahtar Kelimeler: leflunomide, liver fibrosis, liver stiffness measurement, methotrexate, rheumatoid arthritis, shear wave elastography
- Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Background: Methotrexate (MTX) and leflunomide (LEF) play fundamental roles in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment and require proper monitoring of side effects. Concerns about MTX/LEF-related liver fibrosis (LF) in patients with RA remain unclear. This study investigated liver stiffness using two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) in RA patients undergoing disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy. Moreover, 2D-SWE was employed to evaluate the correlations between liver stiffness, cumulative MTX and LEF doses and risk factors for substantial LF. Methods: We recruited 222 participants from the Department of Rheumatology. The participants were divided into healthy controls (n = 78) and patients with RA (n = 144). Pearson's correlation analysis was performed to assess the correlations between liver stiffness and the cumulative dose of MTX/LEF and other clinical and laboratory variables. Results: The mean elasticity modulus was 4.79 ± 0.92 kPa, excluding the presence of significant fibrosis. Mean 2D-SWE values were significantly lower in healthy controls than in RA treated with MTX and LEF. The cut-off ≥3.8 kPa 2D-SWE values with the sensitivity of 86.1%, specifity of 83.3%. 2D-SWE values were not significantly different across the strata of the cumulative MTX subgroups. Conclusions: MTX and LEF increase liver stiffness but may be considered low risk for the development of LF.