[Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with the immunosuppresive agent, prorezid]

Prorezid treatment was applied to 30 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. It was applied per os with a daily dose of 300 mg to 12 subjects; to 18-intravenous drop infusion with 5 per cent serum glucose--daily dose 400 mg. Oral administration total dose-7-8 g; infusion-10-12 g. Drop infusion administration proved to be more effective and especially the combination of the preparation with salycilates, pirazolon derivatives, minimal doses of corticosteroids and antibiotics. Favourable effect on articular syndrome was obtained in 20 patients (66.6%) about 2-3 and sometimes 4-6 weeks after the onset of the treatment. First the articular pain was attenuated, latter on--the morning stiffness (3-4 week), the movements in the joints involved were improved, the edema decreased towards the 4-6th weeks. A complete normalization of the laboratory indices was observed in none of those patients. In 10 of the patients (33.3%) no clinical improvement was attained in the course of the treatment. In four of them--the improvement developed 4-6 months later, with a longer drug administration. Prorezid preparation is with a low toxicity, with manifestation of transitory side effects in single patients--diarrhoea, mild leukopenia. Alopecia was not observed. Those properties make the drug suitable for application in patients with rheumatoid arthritis whose treatment with the rest applied drugs failed to give results.