[Does the basic therapy affect the development of secondary amyloidosis in rheumatoid arthritis?]

Anti-rheumatic drug treatments were studied in 260 patients from Finland and Russia suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with or without biopsy-proven secondary amyloidosis (RSA). Chloroquine was used for longer period in RSA group in Russia (p = 0.003) and in Finland (p = 0.06). In Finland chloroquine was used more often in the RSA group (p = 0.02), and sulphasalazine (p = 0.02), D-penicillamine (p = 0.03) and cytotoxics (p = 0.04) in the control group. The role of therapy in the prevention of RSA in chronic inflammation is discussed.