Management of ankylosing spondylitis with flurbiprofen or indomethacin

The effects of flurbiprofen (150-200 mg daily) and indomethacin (75-100 mg daily) were compared in the management of 26 patients with active ankylosing spondylitis in a parallel, double-blind, and randomized trial of six weeks' duration. No patient in either group withdrew from the study because of lack of efficacy of the drugs. Both drugs were equally effectivein relieving the pain and tenderness of the affected joints. Overall subjective improvement, assessed by the patient and the investigator at the end of the trial, was present in 90% of the patients in the flurbiprofen group and in 75% of the indomethacin group. The mean values of all the spinal motion tests improved in the flurbiprofen group but not in the indomethacin group. Statistically significant improvement of the Schober test was achieved in the flurbiprofen group and of the chest expansion measurement in the indomethacin group. Untoward effects related to the central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract were present in a few patients in both groups.