Minocycline in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Stephen P. Heyse
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1995)

Letters1 September 1995Minocycline in Rheumatoid ArthritisStephen P. Heyse, MD, MPH, Barbara C. Tilley, PhD, and Graciela S. Alarcon, MD, MPHStephen P. Heyse, MD, MPHNational Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases; Bethesda, MD 20892Henry Ford Health Sciences Center; Detroit, MI 48202University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL 35294Search for more papers by this author, Barbara C. Tilley, PhDNational Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases; Bethesda, MD 20892Henry Ford Health Sciences Center; Detroit, MI 48202University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL 35294Search for more papers by this author, and Graciela S. Alarcon, MD, MPHNational Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases; Bethesda, MD 20892Henry Ford Health Sciences Center; Detroit, MI 48202University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL 35294Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-123-5-199509010-00020 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:We agree with Dr. Patmas that minocycline's mechanism of action in producing benefit in patients with rheumatoid arthritis is unknown; however, we do not believe that any of the patients enrolled in our trial were infected with Borrelia burgdorferi. To be eligible for the study of ceftriaxone treatment of chronic inflammatory arthritis cited by Dr. Patmas, patients had to have antibodies to B. burgdorferi in titers of 1:64 or greater on two occasions before entry. We actively excluded patients with a history or clinical evidence of Lyme disease, and all patients tested negative for antibodies to B. burgdorferi ...References1. Tugwell P, Boers M, for the OMERACT Committee. Developing consensus on preliminary core efficacy endpoints for rheumatoid arthritis clinical trials. J Rheumatology. 1993; 20:555-6. Google Scholar2. Felson DT, Anderson JJ, Boers M, Bombardier C, Chernoff M, Fried B, et al. The American College of Rheumatology preliminary core set of disease activity measures for rheumatoid arthritis clinical trials. Arthritis Rheum. 1993; 36:729-40. Google Scholar3. Felson D, for the ACR Committee on Outcome Measures in RA trials. American College of Rheumatology (ACR) preliminary criteria for improvement in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) trials [Abstract]. Arthritis Rheum. 1994; 37:S195. Google Scholar4. Pillemer S, Fowler S, Tilley B. Alarcon G, Heyse S, Trentham D, et al. Meaningful improvement criteria sets in a rheumatoid arthritis clinical trial [Abstract]. Arthritis Rheum. 1995; 37:S196. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases; Bethesda, MD 20892Henry Ford Health Sciences Center; Detroit, MI 48202University of Alabama at Birmingham; Birmingham, AL 35294 PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 1 September 1995Volume 123, Issue 5Page: 392KeywordsAntibodiesArthralgiaClinical trialsForecastingLyme diseasePainRheumatic painRheumatoid arthritisRheumatologyVisual analog scale Issue Published: 1 September 1995 CopyrightCopyright © 1995 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...