[Effectiveness of pulse-therapy in seronegative spondyloarthritis (preliminary report)]

Pulse-therapy with 6-methylprednisolone was provided to 12 patients (4 with Bekhterev's disease--BD resistant to indomethacin, voltaren and phenylbutazone therapy, 8 with psoriatic arthritis--PA). The drug was injected i.v. at a dose of 1000 mg for 3 days running. A rapid analgetic and antiinflammatory effect was noted in both groups. Ten patients (3 with BD and 8 with PA) demonstrated considerable improvement, 2 improvement. A positive trend in all indices of therapeutic efficacy was noted. In BD change in 33% of indices was statistically significant, in PA in 76%. A decrease in initially elevated serum IgG concentrations in both groups was statistically insignificant. The content of IgM and IgA before treatment was within normal, and the change resulting from pulse-therapy was statistically insignificant. A decrease in initially elevated levels of blood serum circulating immune complexes was statistically significant in both groups. Pulse-therapy was well tolerated.