Effectiveness and safety of immunosuppressive agents in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis
Carreira Delgado, P.E.; Gómez-Reino Carnota, J.J.; Morillas López, L.; Ibero Díaz, I.; Mateo Bernardo, I.
Medicina Clinica 86(14): 575-578
1986
ISSN/ISBN: 0025-7753 PMID: 3724263 Document Number: 273511
In short-term studies immunosuppressive drugs (IS) have been shown to be both safe and useful for the therapy of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). There are few long-term studies, owing to the fear of tumors and severe side-effects. We have studied the long-term efficacy and complications in 29 courses of IS in 24 patients with RA. More than 50% of patients showed clinical improvement within the initial months of therapy; improvement persisted up to 4-5 years in those patients in whom treatment with IS was maintained. In 43 patients-years no tumor has been observed. Side-effects have been few and usually mild. Only in 3 patients treatment was withdrawn owing to toxicity; in other patients withdrawal was due to other reasons.