Comparative toxicity of gold preparations in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis have been treated alternately with aurothioglucose and aurothiomalate. In the earlier part of the study an oily suspension of aurothioglucose and an aqueous solution of aurothiomalate were used, but later an aqueous solution of aurothioglucose was alternated with the oily suspension and an oily suspension of aurothiomalate with the aqueous solution. Skin eruptions, stomatitis, and albuminuria were significantly more common in patients treated with the aqueous solution than with the oily suspension.