Successful Treatment with Clarithromycin for Rheumatoid Arthritis Accompanied by Infection

ABSTRACT

Macrolide antibiotics provide not only antibacterial activity but also anti-inflammatory effects. We report herein two cases of uncontrolled rheumatoid arthritis (RA), accompanied by hepatitis B and pulmonary empyema, respectively, who were successfully treated using clarithromycin (CAM) in expectation of its anti-inflammatory effects. A 74-year-old woman suffering from RA, presented with exacerbation of arthralgia. Because she was a hepatitis B carrier, she could not receive biological agents. She was successfully treated with CAM as an alternative to biological agents. A 77-year-old man suffering from RA, presented with exacerbation of arthralgia. Because he had suffered from pulmonary empyema, he did not receive biological agents. He was successfully treated with CAM as an alternative to biological agents. These present cases suggest that CAM treatment may be effective for RA.