Hydroxychloroquine has been used successfully in the treatment of inflammatory arthritides such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, and less commonly in the seronegative spondyloarthropathies. Our objective was to determine the effectiveness of hydroxy-chloroquine in inflammatory or erosive osteoarthritis (OA).
We retrospectively reviewed clinical records of 8 patients prescribed hydroxychloroquine therapy whose symptoms of erosive OA were unresponsive to nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID).
Hydroxychloroquine was effective in 6 of the 8 patients treated; it was well tolerated by all patients.
The use of hydroxychloroquine in patients with erosive OA unresponsive to NSAID appears promising. Prospective studies are needed to confirm our observations.