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A preliminary evaluation of hydroxyurea for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis
L S Ehrlich1, K Thalji, K Whitman
1Section of Rheumatology, University of Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
Objective:
To obtain preliminary evidence on the safety and efficacy of low dose hydroxyurea as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Methods:
Five patients with active RA unresponsive to conventional therapy were entered into a 12 week, open label trial of hydroxyurea followed by a one month postdrug evaluation.
Results:
Three of the 4 patients completing the study had a decrease in morning stiffness and number of swollen and tender joints. All 4 patients had a decrease in pain and an increase in function as measured by a modified health assessment questionnaire. No patient had improvement in sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, or subjective measures of global well being. However, 3 of the 4 patients had disease flare after the drug was withdrawn, demonstrated by increased number of swollen and tender joints.
Conclusion:
Low dose hydroxyurea may be effective in the treatment of RA, but confirmation will require further testing by a randomized double blind placebo controlled trial of patients with a broader spectrum of disease severity over a longer period of therapeutic intervention.