Renal disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with biological therapy

The use of biological therapies may have positive impact on chronic renal disease associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

The study evaluates retrospectively renal function in 57 patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with different types of biological therapy, comparative with 62 RA patients treated conservatively with DMARDs.

Patients treated with biological therapies presented a lower mean value for serum creatinine measured both at baseline and after 6 months of treatment, statistically significant compared with the subgroup treated with DMARDs (0.69 ± 0.17 mg/dL vs. 1.18 ± 1.01 mg/dL, p = 0.003). Results for estimated filtration rate were significantly increased in biologically treated cohort (100.36 ± 16.76 mL/min/1.73 m2 vs. 63.49 ± 21.60 mL/min/1.73 m2, p < 0.00001). Rituximab presented a better estimated filtration rate compared with other biological tharapies (eGFR 97.037 mL/min/1.73 m2 vs. 90.933 mL/min/1.73 m2).

The positive effect of potent biological anti-inflammatory therapies sustains the need of further exploring the risk of reduced kidney function in immune-mediated diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis.