A critical review of the effect of levamisole in rheumatic diseases other than rheumatoid arthritis.

Levamisole has been used in several rheumatic diseases other than rheumatoid arthritis (RA). These include systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), polymyositis/dermatomyositis, scleroderma, Sjögren's syndrome, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter's syndrome and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Most of the published data have either been case reports including very few patients or have been concerned with specific clinical or laboratory assessments. It was therefore very difficult to make any reliable evaluation of the effect of levamisole in these conditions. Levamisole might have had some beneficial effect in some of the diseases listed but properly conducted, controlled trials are necessary before any definitive assessment can be made.