People with rheumatoid arthritis suffer daily with pain, stiffness and swelling of their joints. Unlike other kinds of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis can cause permanent damage to the body. Scientists are continually doing research to try and find better treatments for patients. The use of antibiotics to treat rheumatoid arthritis has shown promise in many studies, but is not accepted by all experts.
Understanding the Process
The antibiotics used in studies include clindamycin, erythromycin, tetracycline, the second generation of doxycycline, and the third generation minocycline.
Many top researchers are examining the concept that rheumatoid arthritis is triggered by infection. If this turns out to be the case, patients might be able to benefit from antibiotic therapy.
The Mayo Clinic has found that the antibiotics minocycline, doxycycline, tetracycline and dapsone show promise in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis when used in combination with other more traditional rheumatoid arthritis treatments, such as methotrexate.
Examine the Research
The Arthritis Center of Riverside, California shares the results of its research on its website Conqueringarthritis.com. The Center treated 255 adults who were an average of 53 years old with mild to severe rheumatoid arthritis with antibiotics and documented their findings to determine if the treatment was safe and effective for patients. The antibiotic treatments were given in addition to traditional rheumatoid arthritis treatments. They followed these patients for an average of two years for this study. The study found that 78 percent of patients studied had at least a 20 percent improvement regarding symptoms; 53 percent enjoyed better than a 50 percent improvement in relieving symptoms; and 22 percent of the participants did not have any improvement. The conclusion of the study was that antibiotics are safe and effective for use in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
However, not all experts are convinced that antibiotic treatment is helpful for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The Arthritis Foundation discusses this treatment on its website, Arthritis.org. The site reviews the controversy, pointing out that there is no evidence successfully linking infection to rheumatoid arthritis. This being the case some researchers consider their use as questionable. Even so, the Arthritis Foundation does concede that the use of the antibiotic minocyline in clinical studies has proven to be helpful in reducing joint pain and swelling in patients. Researchers have not been able to figure out exactly why it is helpful, though.
Talk to Your Doctor
It is important to have a discussion with your doctor about treatment. Your doctor can help you decide if adding antibiotics to your standard rheumatoid arthritis treatment is a good option for you and outline the pros and cons for you to consider. For example, it is important to note that many antibiotics have the potential of having serious side effects. Also, antibiotics may interfere with the effectiveness of other medications you might be taking.
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