[Sulfasalazine therapy in spondylarthritis ankylopoietica]

In the past few years several reports have been published on the favourable effect of sulphasalazine in ankylosing spondylitis. This induced us to compare sulphasalazine with placebo in a prospective, randomized single-blind trial in 63 patients with active ankylosing spondylitis. After termination of the 24 week course of treatment significant improvement was registered in several clinical parameters both in the group taking the active drug (31 patients) and in that on placebo (32 patients). The advantage of sulphasalazine over placebo only proved to be significant in the duration of articular morning stiffness and in reducing disturbances of sleep. Observations claiming sulphasalazine to act as a remission inducing drug for ankylosing spondylitis have neither been confirmed nor ruled out by our experiences. Accurate appraisal of the effectiveness of sulphasalazine still calls for further extensive placebo-controlled double-blind studies.