title: Depicting and comparing the time to normalize "erythrocyte sedimentation rate" following two combination therapies in rheumatoid arthritis patients: a randomized clinical trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is one of the predictors of improvement in handling rheumatoid arthritis. This study was designed to define and compare the time of achieving normal ESR and also the percentage for the normalization of this marker at several points of time in two different combination therapies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-two rheumatoid arthritis patients randomly received methotrexate, chloroquine, prednisolone (MCP) or azathioprine, chloroquine, prednisolone (ACP) and all were followed up for 34 weeks. Chloroquine and azathioprine were given, 150 mg/d and 2 mg/kg/d, respectively. Methotrexate was given, 0.2 mg/kg/week and simultaneously increased 2.5 mg monthly if no clinical response was seen. Prednisolone was started, 0.3 mg/kg/d and tapered after one week. ESR at baseline and during follow-up were checked. The data were collected and analyzed. This clinical trial was registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (www.irct.ir) with registration number ID: 2012110611383N1.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percentages of obtaining normal ESR after 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 18th, 34th weeks of follow up were 42.4%, 53.9%, 57.7%, 65.4%, 88.5%, 96.2% in the MCP group and 47.9%, 65.3%, 74%, 78.3%, 82.7%, 87% in the ACP group. The mean time of obtaining normal ESR was 9.15 (95%CI, 5.58 to 12.73) weeks in MCP group and 9.04 (4.04 to 14.05) weeks in the ACP group (p>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results show that the time to achieve normal ESR and percentage of its normalization were almost the same in both treated groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Shafa Hospital, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran. ; Rheumatology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Sasan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fallahi
authors.forename: Abdolrahman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rostamian
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khalvat
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Khazaeipour
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shahbazi
keywords: Azathioprine; Inflammation; Methotrexate; Prednisolone.; Rheumatoid arthritis