[Experiences in long-term therapy of rheumatoid arthritis with sulfasalazine tablets].

To demonstrate the efficacy and compatibility of sulphasalazine as a long term treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, use of the substance (known in Britain as Salazopyrin EN and in Germany as Azulfidine RA) has been compared with that of intramuscular gold. Using very stringent and novel criteria for success--a patient must have no more than one swollen joint after a minimum of 2 years treatment, with less than 30 min of early morning stiffness and still be receiving the drug--the cumulative efficacy of each drug was very similar (32% with sulphasalazine vs 44% with gold). Toxic events leading to drug withdrawal, however, were twice as frequent with gold, and the type of toxic event encountered was considered to be potentially much more serious than those with sulphasalazine (96% of the toxic events on gold fell into the mucocutaneous, renal or haematological groups).