title: [Clinical study on effect of Agkistrodon antithrombogenase in auxiliary treatment of rheumatoid arthritis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the clinical effect of Agkistrodon antithrombogenase (AAT) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and its possible mechanism.
  
  
  METHODS
  Besides the conventional non-steroid anti-inflammatory agents and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug, patients were treated supplementally with intravenous injection of AAT. The intracutaneous test showed allergic to AAT patients were treated with Salvia injection and taken as control group. Changes of related clinical indexes in the two groups were observed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After 3 weeks treatment, condition of patients in both groups were improved clinically in joint swollen index, joint tenderness index, morning stiffness time, pain assessment (VAS) and health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) on daily life activity as well as ESR level (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), with the VAS, HAQ and fibrinogen levels more significantly improved than those of control (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), and the total effective rate higher in the AAT treated group than those in the control group (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AAT has good effect on easing clinical symptoms of RA possibly through anti-inflammation and improving the microcirculation with less toxic and adverse reaction, so is worthy of recommendation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumato-Immunology, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Ji-ming
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Xing-hai
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000721:Ancrod / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003435:Crotalid Venoms / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D003435:Crotalid Venoms; C041603:Agkistrodon platelet aggregation inhibitor; D000721:Ancrod