Gold Salts for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Examples
Oral (by mouth)
Intramuscular (by a shot or injection)
|
| gold aurothioglucose | Solganal |
| gold sodium thiomalate | Aurolate, Myochrysine |
How It Works
It is not understood exactly how gold
works to treat
rheumatoid arthritis. But gold salts appear to
accumulate slowly in the body and, over time, they reduce inflammation and slow
the progression of rheumatoid arthritis.
Gold injections are given
every week for the first 22 weeks. After that, gold may be given less often if
it is working.1
Why It Is Used
Gold is used to reduce inflammation
and slow disease progression in people with rheumatoid arthritis. Gold is not
usually the first treatment given to people with rheumatoid arthritis, since
methotrexate and other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are
available.
How Well It Works
A review reports that treatment with
intramuscular gold (parenteral gold) reduces disease activity and joint
inflammation.2
Gold salts taken by mouth
(oral) have not been found to be as effective as gold injections, and it can
take up to 6 months before benefits are noticed from oral gold salts.1
Side Effects
Side effects may develop after a
significant amount of gold has accumulated in the body.
Oral gold
has fewer side effects than gold injected into the muscle. Common side effects
of oral gold include:
- Decreased appetite, nausea, and
diarrhea.
- Problems with the skin, blood, kidneys, or lungs
(rare).
Common side effects of injected gold include:
- An itchy skin rash.
- Mouth
sores.
Rarer side effects include:
- Kidney problems (kidney damage that causes loss
of protein in the urine).
- Suppression of blood cell production,
which may increase the risk of infection or serious bleeding. (A return to
normal blood cell production may take several weeks after the drug is no longer
taken.)
Extremely rare side effects include bowel or lung
inflammation.
See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects.
(Drug Reference is not available in all systems.)
What To Think About
It can take 3 to 6 months before
gold treatment improves symptoms.
Regular urine tests to check for
protein (indicating kidney damage) and blood tests are needed.
Complete the new medication information form (PDF)(What is a PDF document?) to help you understand this medication.
References
Citations
- Kwoh CK, et al. (2002). Guidelines for the management
of rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis and Rheumatism,
46(2): 328–346.
- Walker-Bone K, Fallow S (2007). Rheumatoid arthritis,
search date June 2005. Online version of BMJ Clinical Evidence. Also available online:
http://www.clinicalevidence.com.
Credits
| By | Healthwise Staff |
|---|
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine |
|---|
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Stanford M. Shoor, MD - Rheumatology |
|---|
| Last Revised | June 11, 2010 |
|---|
Last Revised:
June 11, 2010
Kwoh CK, et al. (2002). Guidelines for the management
of rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis and Rheumatism,
46(2): 328–346.
Walker-Bone K, Fallow S (2007). Rheumatoid arthritis,
search date June 2005. Online version of BMJ Clinical Evidence. Also available online:
http://www.clinicalevidence.com.
Seton is proud to have four hospitals – the only hospitals in Central Texas - that have earned the Magnet designation, the highest award for nursing excellence given by the American Nurses Association.