Are DMARDs effective for rheumatologic diseases besides rheumatoid arthritis?

Abstract

It's unclear whether disease-modifying antirheumatic agents (DMARDs) as first-line therapy in nonrheumatoid rheumatologic diseases are effective because the question has not been studied. As second-line therapy, the use of some DMARDs appears to be beneficial for patients with psoriatic arthritis (strength of recommendation [SOR: A, based on systematic reviews of good- quality randomized controlled trials) and ankylosing spondylitis (SOR: B, based on systematic reviews of moderate quality trials). Data on the safety and efficacy of DMARDs as second-line therapy for other arthritic conditions is limited (SOR: C, based on small prospective cohort trials).