[Sulfasalazine in rheumatology].

Sulphasalazine (SLZ) has proved to be a drug effective in inducing clinical improvement or remission in chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases (other than inflammatory bowel diseases) such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and some seronegative spondyloarthropathies, in a fashion similar to that of long-acting, second-line drugs in RA. Several clinical studies agree upon the efficacy of the compound employed at a dose of 2-3 g/day and upon the incidence of side effects, which appear to be equivalent to or lower than those related to traditional disease-modifying drugs employed in RA. The following points should be clarified and developed with regard to the use of SLZ in chronic rheumatic diseases: main mechanism(s) of action, improvement of therapeutic strategy (i.e.: combined treatments, maintenance therapy), prevention and control of main side effects, and its preferential use or limits in the management of a larger number of inflammatory rheumatic diseases.