Drug induced impairment of polymorphonuclear cell bactericidal ability in rheumatoid arthritis.

Thirty three patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated only with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were divided into two groups according to the drug received (group A: diclofenac, group B: indomethacin or ketoprofen), and their polymorphonuclear (PMN) cell functions were investigated. We found that bactericidal ability was the only function significantly impaired in group A as compared with group B patients and normal controls. This modification correlated well with the reduction of control PMN bactericidal ability when this test was carried out in patient plasma. These differences between drug effects might explain some of the discrepancies between reports of PMN cell functions in RA.