Double-blind withdrawal trial of azathioprine as maintenance treatment for Crohn's disease.
51 patients with Crohn's disease who were in good health while taking azathiprine, 2 mg/kg body-weight/day, for at least six months were allocated either to a group in which azathioprine was continued or to one in which a control tablet was substituted. The trial lasted one year unless relapse recurred earlier. The cumulative probability of relapse was nil at six months and 5% (+/-5 S.D.) at a year among those on azathioprine, compared with 25% (+/-9 S.D.) at six months and 41% (+/-11 S.D.) at a year among those in the control group (P less than 0.01). 1 patient in whom azathioprine was continued died of pancytopenia in the fourth month of the trial. Azathioprine is potentially toxic but appears to reduce the relapse-rate in Crohn's disease.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001379:Azathioprine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000633:toxicity; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010919:Placebos; D012008:Recurrence; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013997:Time Factors
D010919:Placebos; D001379:Azathioprine