In the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis an irreplaceable position is held by so-called disease modifying drugs. Recently among the latter cyclosporin A was included. The objective of the present study was to assess its therapeutic effect in patients with rheumatoid arthritis refractory to treatment.
To a group of 20 patients with the refractory form of rheumatoid arthritis cyclosporin A (Consupren-Galena) was administered for 6 months in a mean daily dose of 3.5 mg. Clinical and laboratory examinations were made after one-month intervals. Cyclosporin administration influenced the clinical indicators of disease activity but did not lead to changes of red cell sedimentation values or the titre of the latex fixation test. Three patients did not complete the study because of serious undesirable effects.
The results of the investigation indicate the clinical effectiveness of cyclosporin in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who do not react to other forms of disease modifying drugs. It is not clear whether cyclosporin affects the progression of rheumatoid tissue changes or whether is its effect is close to symptomatic treatment.