Treatment with Fish Oils Might Be Effective in Patients with Early Rheumatoid Arthritis

The addition of fish oils to traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drug therapy lowered risk for treatment failure.

The ω-3 fatty acids in oily fish — eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) — suppress proinflammatory eicosanoids, prostaglandin E₂, and leukotriene B₄; a meta-analysis of randomized trials suggested that fish oils at doses >2.7 g of EPA plus DHA daily reduced pain, morning stiffness, and number of painful and swollen joints in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients (Pain 2007; 129:210). In this double-blind trial from Australia, 140 patients with early RA (median duration, 4 months) were randomized 2:1 to receive high-dose fish oil (5.5 g EPA + DHA daily) or fish oil at a low dose (control; 400 mg EPA + DHA daily). All patients received triple therapy with the disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) methotrexate, hydr…

Reviewing Author

Jonathan S. Coblyn, MD

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Consultant / Advisory BoardCVS Health

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Jonathan S. Coblyn, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory BoardCVS Health

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Treatment with Fish Oils Might Be Effective in Patients with Early Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Reviewing Author