A retrospective analysis of drug therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

A retrospective analysis of the pharmacotherapy used in 100 patients during their illness was performed. The method was that of a standardized interview based on a questionnaire. Analysis of the data showed that salicylates still dominate among the first-line antirheumatic drugs, but are gradually being replaced by newer antirheumatic agents. A large number of patients received drugs belonging to the group of pyrazolidine compounds. Basic therapy primarily consisted of chrysotherapy; therapy with antimalarials had to be discontinued due to side effects in a high percentage of cases. An interesting finding is the high number of patients treated in the long term with glucocorticoids with apparently good tolerance.