title: Treatment of Crohn's disease with 6-mercaptopurine. A long-term, randomized, double-blind study.
abstract: To test the effectiveness of 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) in the treatment of Crohn's disease, we entered 83 chronically ill patients into a two-year double-blind study comparing 6-MP with placebo. Crossover data showed that improvement occurred in 26 of 39 courses of 6-MP (67%) as compared with three of 39 courses of placebo (8%) (P less than 0.001). Non-crossover data likewise confirmed the superiority of 6-MP. The drug was more effective than placebo in closing fistulas (31 vs 6%) and in permitting discontinuation or reduction of steroid dosage (75 vs. 36%) (P less than 0.001). The onset of response to 6-MP was often delayed, with 32% of patients taking longer than three months to respond, and 19% taking longer than four months. Adverse side effects to 6-MP occurred in 10% of patients and were uniformly reversible. We conclude that 6-MP is an effective and useful agent in the management of Crohn's disease.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005402:Fistula / Q000188:drug therapy; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015122:Mercaptopurine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010919:Placebos; D011897:Random Allocation; D012107:Research Design; D012460:Sulfasalazine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D010919:Placebos; D012460:Sulfasalazine; D015122:Mercaptopurine