A double blind placebo controlled trial of low dose clotrimazole in rheumatoid arthritis

Seventy-three patients with rheumatoid arthritis were randomized in a double blind study to receive either clotrimazole (20 mg/kg/day) 2 days a week for 12 weeks or matching placebo. Patients receiving clotrimazole had significant improvements (p less than 0.05) from baseline in measurements of grip strength, joint count, and patient assessment of pain, but did not show significant improvement over patients treated with placebo. More adverse experiences, predominantly gastrointestinal complaints, occurred in patients taking clotrimazole resulting in 9 patients discontinuing therapy.