Antibiotic Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease with major symptoms that include chronic inflammation, pain, and potentially debilitating stiffness of the joints. For unknown reasons, cells of the immune system in patients with rheumatoid work incorrectly, attacking healthy joints. Treatment of the disease has focused primarily on alleviating the symptoms through the use of steroids and anti-inflammatory medication. However, there is growing scientific and anecdotal evidence that antibiotic therapy is a safe, effective and cost-efficient treatment option.

Treatment

• Minocycline and Doxycycline are the primary antibiotics used in antibiotic therapy for rheumatoid arthritis. The antibiotics are members of the tetracycline family, which is known for its ability to fight bacterial infections.

  The treatment consists of low dosages of antibiotic orally, generally twice daily, over an extended time. The length of treatment varies depending on the results received in specific patients, however it not unusual for treatment to extend at least one year. Antibiotics may be used in combination with other standard treatments, such as steroids. Patients may be weaned off of these additional treatments as their condition improves.

Scientific Evidence in Favor of Antibiotic Therapy

• Dr. Thomas McPherson Brown is credited with discovering the effectiveness of antibiotics in treating rheumatoid arthritis. A graduate of John Hopkins University, Dr. Brown was well known for his work with arthritis patients, holding several prestigious positions throughout his career, including Director of the Arthritis Institute at the National Hospital. For 52 years, Dr. Brown successfully treated more than 10,000 rheumatoid patients with antibiotic therapy.

  A variety of scientific studies have been published in support of antibiotic therapy as well. The most referenced is the National Institutes of Health's 1995 MIRA clinical trial. Published in the Jan. 15, 1995 "Annals in Internal Medicine," this study followed 219 adults with rheumatoid arthritis who were treated with minocycline (an antibiotic in the tetracycline family) for 48 weeks. It was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, which showed minocycline reduced joint swelling and pain with minimal side effects.

Patients' Experience with Antibiotic Therapy

• In 2006, The Road Back Foundation (a nonprofit patient advocacy group), conducted what is known as the Harris Poll, which surveyed more than 200 rheumatoid patients about their experience with antibiotic therapy. Key findings of the poll include:
  • 89 percent experienced positive improvements in the disease; 77 percent within the first six months of beginning treatment.
  • 82 percent experienced a reduction in pain
  • 65 percent experienced a reduction in the severity of their condition.
  • 55 percent experienced a reduction in the amount of medication they had to take overall due to the success of the antibiotic therapy.

  Overall, the majority of the patients surveyed felt that the antibiotic therapy improved their overall health and quality of life.