[Tolerability and therapeutic maintenance of tiopronin, new basic treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Apropos of long-term follow-up of 268 cases].

A long-term survey of 268 patients.--Tiopronin (Acadione) is a new long-term treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. To define the tolerance and the therapeutic maintenance, the data for 268 patients with rheumatoid arthritis who started a treatment with Tiopronine from January 1979 to December 1986 have been reviewed in December 1987. Tiopronin was started after a mean duration of rheumatoid arthritis of 14.1 +/- 8.2 years, at a mean daily dosage of 1.2 +/- 0.2 grammes. The efficacy of tiopronin was considered very good or good in 67 p. cent of the patients. Adverses effects led to stop the treatment in 27.7 p. cent of the patients: these adverses effects were similar to those observed with D-Penicillamine, but no crossed intolerance was noticed between tiopronin and D-Penicillamine. At the 72nd month of follow-up, tiopronin remained effective and well-tolerated in 40 p. cent of the patients. The efficacy and the high rate of prolonged therapeutic maintenance make tiopronin a new major long-term treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.