Medicine’s Shahdi K Malakooti shares observations for individuals with rheumatoid arthritis

Higher vitamin D levels pre-methotrexate linked to lower mortality in RA

HCPLive: Shahdi K Malakooti, assistant professor at the School of Medicine, reported that individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who had higher vitamin D levels before starting methotrexate also had decreased death rates afterward. “Our overall observation of lower Vitamin D levels at the time of first-line therapy (methotrexate) initiation for RA associating with greater mortality indicates another link between vitamin D homeostasis and bio-immune health,” she said.