[Intra-articular treatment with somatostatin 14 in rheumatoid arthritis]

19 patients with RA underwent six intraarticular injections of 750 micrograms of Somatostatin 14 in one knee at 15-day intervals. In all patients some clinical parameters were evaluated: articular function, pain on pressure, spontaneous pain, pain on movement, duration of morning stiffness. Also some laboratory parameters were examined: complete blood cell count, ESR and CRP. An overall and significant improvement of the symptomatology of the treated knee was seen in all patients especially after the 3rd infiltration and still more after the 5th. At follow up 3 months after the end of treatment 12 patients were controlled, 11 of these showed a persistence of the improvement. No side-effects were seen.