Evaluación gastrointestinal en los pacientes con fiebre mediterránea familiar con dolor abdominal crónico y tratados con colchicina: serie de casos / Gastrointestinal evaluation in colchicine-treated familial Mediterranean fever patients with chronic abdominal pain: Cases series

El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar a los pacientes con fiebre mediterránea familiar (familial Mediterranean fever, FMF) y dolor abdominal crónico resistentes al tratamiento con colchicina. Se incluyó a 48 pacientes diagnosticados en nuestro consultorio de reumatología pediátrica que tenían dolor abdominal a pesar del tratamiento con colchicina. A todos los pacientes se los derivó a un gastroenterólogo pediátrico. Se registraron las características del dolor, tales como aparición, duración y frecuencia; se planificó una endoscopía digestiva para obtener un diagnóstico diferencial. Se determinó la presencia de una mutación del gen MEFV en 46 pacientes. La mediana de la duración del tratamiento fue de 2,8 años. Aproximadamente el 60% de los pacientes tenían dolor abdominal todos los días o de dos a tres veces a la semana; en el 73% de los casos, duró menos de tres horas. A 41 pacientes se les realizó una endoscopía digestiva alta. La gastroduodenitis es un hallazgo frecuente en los pacientes con FMF y dolor abdominal persistente a pesar del tratamiento. Los pacientes con los puntajes más altos de severidad de la enfermedad tenían inflamación digestiva grave.

The aim of the study to evaluate familial mediterranean fever (FMF) patients with chronic abdominal pain unresponsive to colchicine treatment. Forty-eight patients who diagnosed in our Pediatric Rheumatology clinics and suffering from abdominal pain despite colchicine treatment were include. All patients were referred to a pediatric gastroenterologist. The pain characteristics such as onset, duration and frequency were recorded; gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy was planned for differential diagnosis. MEFV mutation was determined in 46 patients. The median duration of treatment was 2.8 years. Approximately 60% of the patients suffered from abdominal pain every day or 2-3 times a week, in 73% of the cases it lasted less than three hours. Forty-one patients underwent upper GI endoscopy. Gastroduodenitis is a common finding in persisting abdominal pain despite therapy of FMF patients. The patients with the highest disease severity scores had severe inflammation within the entire GI system.

A prospective, randomized, single - blind study comparing intraplaque injection of thiocolchicine and verapamil in Peyronie's Disease: a pilot study

ABSTRACT Objectives: To compare the response to tiocolchicine and verapamil injection in the plaque of patients with Peyronie's disease. Materials and Methods: Prospective, single-blind, randomized study, selecting patients who have presented Peyronie's disease for less than 18 months. Thiocolchicine 4mg or verapamil 5mg were given in 7 injections (once a week). Patients who had received any treatment for Peyronie's disease in the past three months were excluded. The parameters used were the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) score, analysis of the curvature on pharmaco-induced erections and size of the plaque by ultrasonography. Results: Twenty-five patients were randomized, 13 received thiocolchicine and 12 were treated with verapamil. Both groups were statistically similar. The mean curvature was 46.7° and 36.2° before and after thiocolchicine, respectively (p=0.019) and 50.4° and 42.08° before and after verapamil, respectively (p=0.012). The curvature improved in 69% of patients treated with thiocolchicine and in 66% of those who received verapamil. Regarding sexual function, there was an increase in the IIEF-5 from 16.69 to 20.85 (p=0.23) in the thiocolchicine group. In the verapamil group the IIEF-5 score dropped from 17.50 to 16.25 (p=0.58). In the thiocolchicine group, the plaque was reduced in 61% of patients. In the verapamil group, 8% presented decreased plaque size. No adverse event was associated to thiocolchicine. Conclusion: The use of thiocolchicine in Peyronie's disease demonstrated improvement on penile curvature and reduction in plaque size. Thiocolchicine presented similar results to verapamil in curvature assessment. No significant side effects were observed with the use of tiocolchicine.

Systemic treatment in severe cases of recurrent aphthous stomatitis: an open trial

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the systemic drugs thalidomide, dapsone, colchicine, and pentoxifylline in the treatment of severe manifestations of RAS. METHODS: An open, 4-year clinical trial was carried out for 21 consecutive patients with severe RAS. Initially, patients were given a 2-week course of prednisone to bring them to a baseline status. Simultaneously, one of the four test drugs was assigned to each patient to be taken for a period of 6 months. During the course of the trial, patients were switched to one of the other three drugs whenever side effects or a lack of satisfactory results occurred, and the 6-month limit of the treatment was then reset. RESULTS: The most efficient and best-tolerated drug was thalidomide, which was administered to a total of eight patients and resulted in complete remission in seven (87.5 percent). Dapsone was prescribed for a total of nine patients, of whom eight (89 percent) showed improvement in their symptoms, while five showed complete remission. Colchicine was administered to a total of ten patients, with benefits observed in nine (90 percent), of whom four showed complete remission. Pentoxyfilline was administered to a total of five patients, with benefits observed in three (60 percent), of whom one patient showed complete remission. CONCLUSION: The therapeutic methods used in this trial provided significant symptom relief. Patients experienced relapses of the lesions; however, this occurred after withdrawal of their medication during the follow-up period.