Varicoid was administered to 170 patients with
rheumatoid arthritis, to 11 patients with a diagnostically uncertain monarthritis, to 12 patients with exudative gonarthrosis and also to 4 patients with lupus erythematodes visceralis. A total of 262 joints were treated. The short-term results, which were evaluated 4 weeks after the administration of
Varicocid, revealed improvement is 95% of the patients. After 12 months, 46% of the patients were found to be free from symptoms within the area of the treated joint, and 33% of the patients showed a considerable improvement. An objectively evident improvement was found in 35 out of 40 patients with
rheumatoid arthritis followed up over a period of 3 years. Comparable results
after treatment with
Varicocid were also obtained in patients suffering from any one of the above-mentioned
rheumatic diseases. A new
inflammation activity/function index for the evaluation of the local joint
therapy has been used. The first investigations both of function and of morphology of the synovial membrane treated with
Varicocid are reported. In our opinion, chemical
synovectomy with
Varicocid fills a gap in the
therapy of the
rheumatoid arthritis. The essential value of this type of
therapy is the absence of toxicity, a temporary increase in local reactions only, and also a continuous improvement, especially in early cases.