Clinical effectiveness and tolerance of auranofin in patients with chronic polyarthritis. Results of a multicenter long-term study
Klein, G.; Schwann, H.; Mirtl, B.; Thumb, N.; Mayerhofer, F.; Singer, F.; Tausch, G.; Gaismayer, K.; Rieder, H.; Hartweger, A.
Zeitschrift für Rheumatologie 47(5): 342-346
1988
ISSN/ISBN: 0340-1855 PMID: 3149087 Document Number: 318002
In an open multicenter trial, 90 patients with rheumatoid arthritis were treated with a daily dose of 6 mg auranofin. The duration of the treatment was 12 months. A significant improvement in the following parameters was observed: grip strength, number of swollen and painful joints after the 4th month, blood erythrocyte sedimentation rate decreased significantly after the 2nd month. Of the 90 patients, 56 (62.3%) completed the therapy, in 14 (15.5%) it was discontinued because of side effects and in 8 (8.9%) because of inefficacy. 12 patients (13.3%) stated other reasons for discontinuing the therapy (non compliance). The reported side-effects were mostly gastrointestinal, especially diarrhoea and loose stools. The evaluation of results referring to the duration of the disease shows that patients with a duration of less than 2 years reacted better to the improvement with auranofin therapy than patients with a longer sickness history.