Re: RESEARCH - A controlled study of double filtration plasmapheresis in the treatment of active RA

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

You are a star!!!!! Now doesn't that sound promising? Glad to hear it's the

plasma involved and not a total blood change.

Thank you for that.

xxx

From: <Rheumatoid.Arthritis.Support@...>

Subject: [ ] RESEARCH - A controlled study of double filtration

plasmapheresis in the treatment of active RA

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Date: Friday, 24 April, 2009, 2:23 PM

J Clin Rheumatol. 2007 Aug;13(4):193- 8.

A controlled study of double filtration plasmapheresis in the

treatment of active rheumatoid arthritis.

Yu X, Ma J, Tian J, Jiang S, Xu P, Han H, Wang L.

Department of Rheumatology, Blood Purification Center of Cangzhou,

Traditional Chinese Medicine-Western Medicine Hospital of Cangzhou of

Hebei, Cangzhou, Hebei, People's Republic of China.

BACKGROUND: Double-filtration plasmapheresis with a plasma

fractionator pore size of 20 nm should selectively remove large

molecular weight substances like rheumatoid factor and IgM. This was

proposed to be more likely to be helpful for rheumatoid arthritis than

standard plasma exchange.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of double-filtration

plasmapheresis (DFPP) in the treatment of patients with active

rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS: Eighty-two patients were randomly

assigned, 42 to the DFPP group and 40 to the no-DFPP group. All

patients received sulfasalazine (0.75 g 3 times daily) plus

methotrexate (10 mg orally once weekly). All patients had been on

stable doses for more than 3 months. DFPP was performed once a week

for 2 to 3 sessions. A total of 121 plasmapheresis procedures were

performed in 42 patients. Control patients did not receive sham DFPP.

The efficacy measures recorded 1 day after the final treatment and

every month in follow-up for 4 to 22 months included the American

College of Rheumatology (ACR) 20%, 50%, and 70% improvement criteria

(ACR20, ACR50, and ACR70), the Health Assessment Questionnaire

estimate of disability and the disease activity index.

RESULTS: Patients in the DFPP group had ACR20, ACR 50, and ACR70

improvements immediately after the last treatment of 100%, 92.9%, and

81.0%, when compared with the patients in no-DFPP group 17.5%, 0%, and

0% (P < 0.001). Significant change from baseline was observed in

Health Assessment Questionnaire scores in the DFPP group, but not in

the no-DFPP group (P < 0.001). The changes from baseline in the

disease activity scores were significantly greater than in the no-DFPP

group (P < 0.001). Improvements were maintained during follow-up of 7

to 22 months.

CONCLUSION: This open trial showed that DFPP therapy significantly

altered the signs and symptoms of active rheumatoid arthritis. There

were increases in physical function and improvement in quality of

life. This is proposed as an approach that merits further

investigation.

PMID: 17762452

http://www.ncbi. nlm.nih.gov/ pubmed/17762452

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