Definition
Still's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease that closely resembles rheumatoid arthritis. For this reason, this pathology is considered a particular form of arthritis on an autoimmune basis.
To be more precise, the full name of this disease is "Still's disease in adult onset". There is also a sort of juvenile form of this disease, but it is more correctly defined as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
Causes
The causes triggering Still's disease have not yet been exactly identified, although some argue that the onset of this disease may be favored by bacterial or viral infections.
Symptoms
The symptoms that Still's disease can cause in patients are: high fever, salmon-colored skin rash, inflammation of the throat, pain in the muscles and pain, swelling and joint stiffness.
If not treated properly, Still's disease can cause serious complications, such as irreversible damage to the joints, pleural effusion, pericarditis and / or myocarditis.
The information on Still's Diseases - Medications for the Treatment of Still's Disease is not intended to replace the direct relationship between health professional and patient. Always consult your doctor and / or specialist before taking Still's Disease - Still's Treatment Medications.
drugs
Unfortunately, there is no real cure for Still's disease, but treatments can be undertaken to slow its progression and reduce the symptoms it causes.
Drug therapy will be established by the doctor on an individual basis for each patient, depending on the severity with which Still's disease manifests itself. However, since it is a chronic inflammatory disease, usually the pharmacological treatment must be continued for the whole life span of the patients.
The drugs mainly used in the symptomatic treatment of Still's disease are anti-inflammatories, both non-steroidal and steroidal and immunosuppressants.
NSAIDs
NSAIDs can be used in the symptomatic treatment of Still's disease thanks to their anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic properties. Therefore, they can be very useful in countering the classic symptoms induced by Still's disease such as fever, pain and inflammation.
These drugs can be administered via different routes, including the oral, topical and parenteral ones.
Among the many active ingredients that can be used, we recall:
- Acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin ®, Alkaeffer ®): acetylsalicylic acid is available for oral and parenteral administration.
When administered orally, the dose of medication usually used in adults ranges from 325 mg to 1, 000 mg, to be taken 2-3 times a day.
If acetylsalicylic acid is administered parenterally, however, the dose usually used in adults is 500-1, 000 mg, to be administered intravenously or intramuscularly, every 6, 8, or 12 hours, depending on the need and opinion of the doctor.
However, the exact amount of drug to be taken and the way it is administered must be established by the doctor.
- Ibuprofen (Brufen ®, Moment ®, Nurofen ®, Arfen ®, Actigrip fever and pain ®, Vicks fever and pain ®): when ibuprofen is administered orally, the administered dose should not exceed 1, 200-1, 800 mg a day . The exact amount of active ingredient to be taken will be established by the doctor, depending on the severity of the pain and inflammation.
- Ketoprofen (Artrosilene ®, Orudis ®, Oki ®, Fastum gel ®, Flexen "Retard ® ®, Ketodol ®): the dose of ketoprofen usually administered orally is 150-200 mg per day, to be taken in two or three doses split and full stomach.
When, instead, ketoprofen is used in the form of pharmaceutical formulations for cutaneous use, it is recommended to apply the product in the affected area 1-3 times a day, or according to the doctor's prescription.
It should also be remembered that to avoid the onset of photosensitivity reactions, the part treated with ketoprofen for cutaneous use should not be exposed to sunlight and UV rays, both during treatment and for a period of at least two weeks from term of the same.
- Diclofenac (Dicloreum ®, Deflamat ®, Voltaren Emulgel ®, Flector ®): when diclofenac is administered orally, the dose usually used can range from 75 mg to 150 mg a day, to be taken in divided doses. When using diclofenac-based gel, it is recommended to apply the product directly on the area affected by the inflammation 3-4 times a day.
If you use the medicated patch based on diclofenac, on the other hand, it is recommended to apply two patches a day (one in the morning and one in the evening) at the affected area. The duration of treatment should not exceed ten days.
- Naproxen (Momendol ®, Synflex ®, Xenar ®): if naproxen is administered orally, the usual dose is 500-1, 000 mg of drug per day, to be taken in divided doses every 12 hours.
Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids are powerful anti-inflammatory drugs that work by interfering with the activity of the immune system. For this reason they can be very useful in treating inflammation, therefore pain, which characterizes Still's disease.
Among the various active ingredients that can be used, we recall:
- Methylprednisolone (Urbason ®, Medrol ®, Solu-Medrol ®). the initial dose of methylprednisolone to be used must be established by the doctor, depending on the patient's condition. Thereafter, the amount of drug administered can be changed based on the patient's response to the therapy itself. However, indicatively, the dose of methylprednisolone used orally can range from 4 mg to 48 mg a day.
- Prednisone (Deltacortene ®): the dose of prednisone usually administered orally is 10-15 mg a day. Also in this case, the exact dosage of medicine must be established by the doctor on an individual basis.
immunosuppressant
Immunosuppressive drugs can be used in the treatment of Still's disease due to their ability to suppress the immune system, hence the autoimmune response it generates and the resulting inflammation that characterizes the disease.
Among the various active ingredients that can be used, we recall:
- Ciclosporin (Ciqorin ®, Sandimmun ®): cyclosporine is available in different pharmaceutical formulations suitable for different routes of administration, including oral and parenteral administration. The dose of active ingredient to be used must be established by the doctor on an individual basis for each patient.
- Azathioprine (Azafor ®, Azathioprine Aspen ®, Azathioprine Hexal ®): azathioprine is available for oral administration in the form of tablets. Generally, the initial dose used is 1-3 mg / kg of body weight per day. However, the exact amount of azathioprine to be administered varies depending on the condition of each patient and depending on the response of the patient to the therapy, therefore, it must be established by the doctor on an individual basis.
- Methotrexate (Reumaflex ®): methotrexate can only be administered by a doctor or a specialist and is available for intramuscular, subcutaneous and intravenous administration. The dose usually used is 50 mg a week, to be taken for a period of 4-8 weeks.
- Sulfasalazine (Salazopyrin ®): the initial dose of sulfasalazine usually administered is 500 mg a day. Subsequently, the amount of drug used will be gradually increased until the optimal maintenance dosage for each patient is reached.
