[Retinoid in the treatment of psoriatic arthropathy: a pilot study]

Four patients with active seronegative psoriatic arthropathy were treated with retinoid (Ro 10-9359) in a daily dose of 30 mg for at least four months. Within the first 4--6 weeks of treatment all patients showed marked improvement of arthritis as measured by the number of swollen joints, the Ritchie joint index, morning stiffness and the pain experienced. One patient stopped taking her concomitant medication of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent, while the others were able to reduce the intake of such drugs substantially. None of the patients were taking steroids. The elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate observed in all patients studied also fell gradually in the course of treatment. With the exception of dry lips observed in two patients, other adverse effect such as extensive mucosa dryness and cheilitis, as commonly seen in patients receiving this agent, were not recorded. In view of these encouraging preliminary results we are now conducting a multicenter control study to substantiate these findings.