Six-month prospective study to monitor the treatment of rheumatic diseaseswith sustained-release flurbiprofen

Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used in the therapy of bot h inflammatory and degenerative diseases of the locomotor system. Due to th e relatively high occurrence of adverse effects, mainly on the gastrointest inal tract, NSAID therapy often has to be discontinued. Studies focusing on longterm NSAID therapy end points are rare. Two hundred patients presentin g with classic rheumatic diseases (osteoarthritis, n = 50; rheumatoid arthr itis, n = 130; ankylosing spondylitis, n = 20) were given a daily dose of 2 00 mg sustained-release flurbiprofen (flurbiprofen SR). The aim of the stud y was to assess the results of a 6-month treatment. This open therapeutic s tudy was carried out in 10 rheumatological outpatient departments in the Sl ovak Republic with 20 patients from each department. The patients were moni tored monthly during the 6 months of treatment. The group comprised 71% fem ales with an average age of 52.7 years (range 22-72 years). The degree of t he disease activity was assessed at the start of the study as moderate (68% ) for all groups. Average disease duration was 10.4 years (0.4-35 years), M ost patients had previously been treated with other NSAIDs. A total of 151 patients (75.5%) successfully completed the 6-month therapy with flurbiprof en; 49 patients (24.5%) withdrew from the treatment prematurely most of the m at an early stage (23 during the first month, I I during the second month , five during the third and fourth months each, three during the fifth mont h and two during the sixth month). The reasons were lack of efficacy in 10 patients and adverse effects (mostly mild to moderate gastrointestinal into lerance) in 26, The remaining 13 patients gave other reasons for withdrawal , No predictive factors could be identified on comparing the basic demograp hic data of patients who completed the course of treatment with those who w ithdrew from therapy In conclusion, flurbiprofen SR given in a single daily dose of 200 mg is an effective and relatively well tolerated NSAID, which is suitable for the long-term treatment of most patients with chronic arthr itic conditions.