[Comparison of the efficacy of diflunisal and acetylsalicylic acid in rheumatoid arthritis (author's transl)].

Diflunisal, a new difluorophenyl derivative of salicylic acid was compared with acetylsalicylic acid in 16 patients with rheumatoid arthritis in a double-blind study during 8 weeks. All patients who had taken Diflunisal and showed a good therapeutic response were treated with Diflunisal over additional 24 weeks. Diflunisal showed a statistically significant better efficacy than acetylsalicylic acid in all subjective and objective parameters. Above all the grip strength improved greatly in the Diflunisal group. In the patients who were included in the following 24 week study with Diflunisal the successful treatment could be continued through the whole study period. Day-pain and morning stiffness showed statistically significant improvement. Side effects appeared during the double-blind study only in the acetylsalicylic acid group. The results of the study showed Diflunisal in an average dosage of 500 to 1000 mg per day to be a useful drug in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis not least due to the negligible side effects.