Life-table analysis was applied to the records of 317 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with sulphasalazine (SAS), 201 treated with sodium aurothiomalate (gold), and 163 with penicillamine. They comprised all those treated in our department with these drugs between January 1973 and July 1984. Risks of treatment termination for all reasons were similar for each drug at five years (...

To establish whether concentrations of eicosanoids determined by equilibrium in vivo dialysis of faeces and equilibrium in vivo dialysis of rectum might predict a relapse in ulcerative colitis, 23 patients with completely inactive disease, maintained on sulphasalazine, stopped treatment and entered a prospective study. Concentrations of prostaglandin E2 were determined by radioimmunoassay on pu...

BACKGROUND The mechanisms of aspirin induced gastroduodenal injury are not fully understood. Aspirin induces the release of reactive oxygen metabolites in animal models, which may contribute to mucosal injury. AIMS To investigate the effects of aspirin administered with placebo or antioxidants on gastric mucosal reactive oxygen metabolite release and gastroduodenal injury in human volunteers....

A 60 year old man with ulcerative colitis since 1975 and treated with sulphasalazine, presented with severe megaloblastic anaemia caused by folate deficiency. The drug was stopped, and the anaemia recovered promptly. There was no relapse one year later.

Suppositories of sulphapyridine, 5-aminosalicylic acid, and placebo were used in 45 patients with idiopathic proctitis to determine the active part of sulphasalazine. Each patient used one of the suppositories twice daily for four weeks in a double-blind controlled trial. Complete clinical remission with normal rectal mucosa on sigmoidoscopy occurred in 60% of patients given 5-aminosalicylic ac...

Sulphasalazine (salicyl-azo-sulphapyridine) was ingested by 27 healthy subjects for five days at a dosage of 4 g daily. The acetylator phenotype of each subject had been established previously. The serum concentrations of the parent drug and its sulphapyridine-metabolites were determined and the adverse effects were recorded. There was no correlation between the serum concentrations of sulphasa...