Sulphasalazine in rheumatic diseases.

Sulphasalazine has been used world wide for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases for over 40 years. Since the late seventies, sulphasalazine has in addition, been shown to have positive effects in rheumatic diseases e.g. rheumatoid arthritis and spondylarthropathy. Whatever its mechanism of action, the high concentration of sulphasalazine in the gut might explain its beneficial effects on the articular symptoms. Sulphasalazine can be considered as a Disease Modifying Antirheumatic Drug in rheumatoid arthritis and, probably, in spondylarthropathy.