POTENTIALITIES OF COLCHICINE IN COMBINED THERAPY OF SECONDARY AMYLOIDOSIS IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS

The authors relate the results of prolonged treatment (up to 3.5 years) with colchicin of 22 patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) complicated by morphologically verified secondary amyloidosis of the kidneys and/or of the gingival, rectal and hepatic mucosae. Colchicin prescribed as the only slowly acting agent turned out effective in 5 out of 11 patients and in all the 11 patients given the drug in combination with basic therapy by cytostatics or, rarely, by gold drugs and D-penicillamine. The treatment efficacy could be observed both in respect to the manifestations of rheumatoid disease proper and in respect to the manifestations of amyloidosis. The drug did not produce any side effects and could be administrered for a long time. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the withdrawal of colchicin, even in basic therapy continuation caused the enhancement of the manifestations of RA and amyloid nephropathy.