[Sulfasalazine: side effects and duration of therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis]

Sulphasalazine (SSZ) is now recognised to be a useful agent in the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We studied SSZ toxicity (2 g/die) and duration of therapy in 102 patients with RA. Adverse events occurred in 25.4% of all patients. In all patients the reactions subsided on either discontinuation of the drug or decrease of the dose. Gastrointestinal was the most common. At 5 years of follow-up the percentage of patients treated with SSZ still on drug was 29%, the inefficacy was 40% of the total drop-out.