Review of Routine Laboratory Monitoring for Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Receiving Biologic or Nonbiologic DMARDs

Table 2

Effects of nonbiologic and biologic DMARDs on lipid levels in patients with RA.

	Cholesterol			TGs	Ref(s)
	TC	LDL	HDL
Conventional synthetic DMARDs
Methotrexate	↑ or =	↑ or =	↑	N/A	[42]
Hydroxychloroquine/chloroquine	↓ or =	↓ or =	↑ or =	↓	[44]
Sulfasalazine	↑	=	↑	N/A	[43]
Biologic
Adalimumab	↑ or =	=	↑	=	[77]
Infliximab	↑	↑	↑	↑ or =	[68]
Etanercept	↓	↑ or ↓	↑ or ↓	↓	[77, 78]
Golimumab	↑	↑	↑	↑	[79]
Tocilizumab	↑	↑	=	↑	[31, 77]
Rituximab	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Abatacept	↑ or =	=	↑	↑	[80]
Targeted small-molecule DMARD
Tofacitinib	↑	↑	↑	N/A	[32, 81]

=, no change; ↑, increase; ↓, decrease; DMARD, disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; N/A, not available; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; ref, reference; TC, total cholesterol; TG, triglyceride. data were available for leflunomide, anakinra, or certolizumab. and cholesterol levels were not studied in the RA rituximab clinical trials.