[Calcifediol and calcitonin in the therapy of rheumatoid arthritis. A short-term controlled study]

Abstract

A short-term study (30 days) has been carried out on 45 patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis with radiologically verified osteoporosis and definite pain symptomatology. The patients were divided at random into three groups (A, B, C) of 15 each. Group A was given basic therapy (calcium, dichlrophenac, nor-androstenolone) with addition of calcifediol. Group B received basic therapy plus calcitonine in paraphysiological doses. Group C was treated with basic therapy only (highly effective on its own). Observation and treatment were brief but able to provide useful indications regarding the implementation of longer courses of treatment (3-6 months). At the end of treatment, results were submitted to biometric control. With the aid of statistics it can thus be stated that alkaline phosphatase and hydroxyprolinuria fall in group B (basic treatment + calcitonine) and this suggests that the treatment causes some improvement in the exchangeable bone calcium pool. The values of these parameters also fall with the addition of calcifediol to basic therapy, but this fall is not very high. Pain symptomatology is also favourably affected, and to a statistically significant extent, by the three treatments: group A patients (basic + calcifediol) show greater improvement compared with straightforward basic therapy, but the best results are encountered in group B, treated with an association of basic and calcitonine. No side-effects were observed.