Bird H A, Hill J, Sitton N G, Dixon J S, Wright V
Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Royal Bath Hospital, Harrogate, United Kingdom.
Clin Rheumatol. 1988 Mar;7(1):91-4. doi: 10.1007/BF02284063.
Diphosphonates reduce the rate of bone turnover. They have additional pharmacological properties improving adjuvant arthritis in rats and lowering ESR in this condition. We have evaluated etidronate disodium, a diphosphonate commonly prescribed in the United Kingdom for Paget's disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Apart from an early improvement in articular index, perhaps reflecting anti-inflammatory activity, no significant change occurred in clinical variables or in laboratory indices of 'secondline' action at a dose of 5 mg/kg/day.
