ABSTRACT

The present open, controlled and randomized study aims to determine whether adding folic acid in the methotrexate treatment would reduce the side effects of methotrexate and its effect on psoriasis.

Forty-two patients with psoriasis vulgaris were included in the study. All patients received 15-22.5 mg/week/po methotrexate, every 12 hours in 3 divided doses. Folic acid was given as 5 mg/day for the remaining 5 days of the week to the patients randomly allocated in the FA group. All patients were examined for clinical response and side effects, every 2 weeks. Clinical efficacy was evaluated by PASI.

No significant difference was found between the folic acid group and the group given no folic acid in terms of methotrexate efficacy (p=0.886 at baseline, p=0.668 at 8 weeks). Side effects were detected in 26 (79%) patients completed the study. Mucocutaneous, hematologic and systemic side effects were found to be statistically significant in the non-folic acid group (p<0.001, p<0.001, p=0.005, respectively).

Our results show that folic acid supplementation in patients with psoriasis receiving methotrexate reduces the risk of side effects without compromising the efficacy of the treatment.