© 1991 British Society for Rheumatology
other |
SHOULD DISEASE-MODIFYING AGENTS BE USED IN MILD RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS?
Staffordshire Rheumatology Centre Stoke-on-Trent
Correspondence to:
Correspondence to Dr M. Davis, Staffordshire Rheumatology Centre, Haywood Hospital, High Lane, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent ST6 7AG
A 12-month double-blind controlled study comparing hydroxychloroquine 400 mg daily with placebo in 104 patients with mild RA was conducted to see whether patients with mild rheumatoid arthritis (RA) benefit from treatment with diseasemodifying agents. Mild RA was defined as synovitis limited to the hands and feet, an ESR <30 mm/h and C-reactive protein <20 mg/l, a situation where accepted clinical practice is to use a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent alone. By 6 months, the improvement of clinical and laboratory parameters in the hydroxychloroquine treated patients was significant compared with pretreatment levels and significantly greater than the control group. This improvement was maintained at 12 months. In addition, fewer patients withdrew through lack of efficacy, eight on hydroxychloroquine versus 18 on placebo. The implications of treating this well defined group of patients is discussed.
KEY WORDS: Rheumatoid arthritis, Mild disease, Hydroxychloroquine, Placebo-controlled trial
![]()
CiteULike
Connotea
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
G. Jones, J. Halbert, M. Crotty, E. M. Shanahan, M. Batterham, and M. Ahern The effect of treatment on radiological progression in rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review of randomized placebo-controlled trials Rheumatology, January 1, 2003; 42(1): 6 - 13. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
P Emery, F C Breedveld, M Dougados, J R Kalden, M H Schiff, and J S Smolen Early referral recommendation for newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis: evidence based development of a clinical guide Ann Rheum Dis, April 1, 2002; 61(4): 290 - 297. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. A. Quinn, P. G. Conaghan, and P. Emery The therapeutic approach of early intervention for rheumatoid arthritis: what is the evidence? Rheumatology, November 1, 2001; 40(11): 1211 - 1220. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Davis and A. Woolf Role of antimalarials in rheumatoid arthritis -- the British experience Lupus, June 1, 1996; 5(1_suppl): S37 - S40. [Abstract] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Khraishi and G. Singh The role of anti-malarials in rheumatoid arthritis -- the American experience Lupus, June 1, 1996; 5(1_suppl): S41 - S44. [Abstract] [PDF] |
||||


