Indomethacin—Its Rightful Place in Treatment

Abstract

Indomethacin has been in clinical use for 7 years and has aroused more interest, controversy, and discussion than any other antirheumatic agent since the corticoids. Good to excellent results have been obtained in a high percentage of patients with ankylosing spondylitis and acute gouty arthritis, and it has been shown to have analgesic value in degenerative joint disease, especially of the hips. There is widely diverse opinion regarding its therapeutic effect in rheumatoid arthritis. Clinical benefits have also been reported in many other connective tissue diseases including psoriatic arthritis, Reiter's syndrome, fibrositis, periarthritis of the shoulder, polymyositis, and lupus pericarditis.