Clinical trial with ciclosporin (CYA) in rheumatoid arthritis(RA).
It was concluded that CYA was beneficial in management of RA patients and the main adverse effects were hypertrichosis, renal dysfunction and stomach pain.
Abstract
CYA is an immunosuppressant, which is preferentialy used for organ transplantation. Recently, there has been frequent reports that CYA is effective for immunological disorders, such as RA, nephrotic syndrome etc.A clinical trial was carried out in order to investigate the efficacy of CYA on thirty three patients with RA. The initial daily dosage of CYA was 3 mg/kg and later adjusted based on individual informations from clinical symptoms and adverse effects.Statistically significant improvements were acknowledged in the number of swollen joints, grip strength, activities of daily living and serum concentration of CRP.The main adverse effects were hypertrichosis, renal dysfunction and stomach pain. It was concluded that CYA was beneficial in management of RA patients.