ISSN:
1365-2036
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Background: Conventional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have been associated with an increased risk of exacerbation of inflammatory bowel disease.Aim: To evaluate, in a prospective, open-label study, the safety and efficacy of a 20-day regimen of the selective cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitor, rofecoxib, 12.5–25 mg/day, in inflammatory bowel disease patients with associated peripheral arthropathy and/or arthritis.Methods: Patients with clinically inactive to mild inflammatory bowel disease and a joint pain score of at least two points on a scale ranging from zero (none) to four (very poor) were eligible. Response was defined by a decrease of at least two points in the arthralgia score.Results: Of the 32 patients included, 26 (81%) were treated with rofecoxib, 25 mg/day, and six (19%) with rofecoxib, 12.5 mg/day. In three patients (9%), rofecoxib had to be withdrawn after a few days due to gastrointestinal complaints which ceased immediately after drug discontinuation. No flare of inflammatory bowel disease occurred. Thirteen of the 32 patients (41%) were responders and, overall, the arthralgia score decreased from two to one (P = 0.0001).Conclusions: This is the first prospective study on the use of a selective cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitor in inflammatory bowel disease patients with peripheral arthropathy and/or arthralgia. The promising safety and efficacy profile warrants further evaluation in controlled trials.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2036.2003.01596.x
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