There is not enough evidence to support any benefit of sulfasalazine in reducing pain , disease activity , radiographic progression , or improving physical function and spinal mobility in the treatment of AS .
A statistically significant benefit in reducing the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and easing spinal stiffness was mentioned in the previous version .
More withdrawals because of side effects occurred with sulfasalazine .
BACKGROUND Ankylosing spondylitis ( AS ) is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown cause and affects mainly the spine , but can also affect other joints .
Disease progression may result in loss of mobility and function .
Sulfasalazine is a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug used in the treatment of AS .
However , its efficacy remains unclear .
This is an up date of a Cochrane review first published in 2005 .
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the benefits and harms of sulfasalazine for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis ( AS ) .
[Sulfasalazine in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis].
Ninety-five patients with ankylosing spondylitis received either sulphasalazine ( less than or equal to 3 g/day ) or placebo for 24 weeks . The patients who received sulphasalazine showed significantly improved clinical parameters [ duration of morning stiffness ( p less than 0.05 ) , the number of painful and swollen joints ( less than 0.05 ) ] and laboratory parameters [ erythrocyte sedimentation rate ( p less than 0.001 ) , haptoglobin ( p less than 0.05 ) , IgG ( p less than 0.05 ) , IgA ( p less than 0.001 ) , IgM ( p less than 0.05 ) ] . No statistically significant differences were seen in the patients receiving placebo . The results suggest that sulphasalazine is effective for the treatment of patients with ankylosing spondylitis . In these patients , there was also a diminution of the daily dosage of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs . In the majority of patients , clinical and laboratory improvements were expressed more pronouncedly in the peripheral form of ankylosing spondylitis than in the axial form , but statistically no significant differences were found between the two groups
There is not enough evidence to support any benefit of sulfasalazine in reducing pain , disease activity , radiographic progression , or improving physical function and spinal mobility in the treatment of AS .
A statistically significant benefit in reducing the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and easing spinal stiffness was mentioned in the previous version .
More withdrawals because of side effects occurred with sulfasalazine .
BACKGROUND Ankylosing spondylitis ( AS ) is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown cause and affects mainly the spine , but can also affect other joints .
Disease progression may result in loss of mobility and function .
Sulfasalazine is a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug used in the treatment of AS .
However , its efficacy remains unclear .
This is an up date of a Cochrane review first published in 2005 .
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the benefits and harms of sulfasalazine for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis ( AS ) .