Prescription Patterns in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients at a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Prospective Cross-Sectional Study.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, debilitating, systemic inflammatory condition seen worldwide. Prescribing medications is one of the most common interventions in RA treatment. Therefore, we aimed to study the prescription pattern for RA patients at our tertiary care center.

Methods

This was a prospective, cross-sectional, descriptive study of 95 RA patients. Data on demographic profile and drug prescriptions were collected from the prescriptions given by consultants and then analyzed.

Results

Most patients were aged 41-60 years (66.3%), and females predominated (61.1%). Common comorbidities included hypertension (21.1%), diabetes (16.8%), and anemia (12.6%). Disease duration was mainly three to five years (55.8%). Nearly half had an education below graduation (49.5%); common occupations were housewives (37.9%) and professionals (32.6%). Disease‑modifying anti‑rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) were the most prescribed class (90.5%), followed by nonsteroidal anti‑inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs; 64.2%) and corticosteroids (51.6%); biologics were limited (8.4%). Three‑drug prescriptions were most common (35.8%). Methotrexate was the predominant DMARD (75.8%), while diclofenac (20.0%) and deflazacort (18.9%) were the most frequently used NSAID and corticosteroid, respectively.

Conclusion

RA predominantly affects middle‑aged females with moderate disease duration and a notable comorbidity burden. Treatment patterns show strong reliance on conventional DMARDs, particularly methotrexate, with adjunct use of NSAIDs and corticosteroids, while biologics remain underused.