Pullar T, Hunter J A, Capell H A
Clin Rheumatol. 1985 Jun;4(2):133-42. doi: 10.1007/BF02032283.
One hundred and twenty-three rheumatoid patients were commenced on one of the three second-line agents: sodium aurothiomalate (GST), penicillamine (P), or levamisole (L). After four years, 39% of the GST group, 20% of the penicillamine group, and 8% of the levamisole group remained on the original agent. Fifty five % of patients, however, were receiving some second-line agent at four years, and patients showed an improvement in inflammatory indices irrespective of whether or not they were still receiving second-line therapy. It is unclear whether this improvement reflects the natural history of the disease, or the fact that regular clinic attendance identifies patients who require further second-line therapy following cessation of the initial agent.
123名类风湿患者开始使用三种二线药物之一进行治疗：金硫代苹果酸钠（GST）、青霉胺（P）或左旋咪唑（L）。四年后，GST组39%的患者、青霉胺组20%的患者以及左旋咪唑组8%的患者仍在使用原药物。然而，55%的患者在四年时仍在接受某种二线药物治疗，并且无论是否仍在接受二线治疗，患者的炎症指标均有改善。目前尚不清楚这种改善是反映了疾病的自然病程，还是定期门诊就诊能识别出在停用初始药物后需要进一步二线治疗的患者这一事实。
