Ciprofloxacin treatment does not influence course or relapse rate of reactive arthritis and anterior uveitis

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of ciprofloxacin in the treatment of reactive arthritis (ReA) and anterior uveitis (AU) in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. METHODS: Seventy-two patients participated in this study, 56 with ReA and 42 with AU (26 patients had both ReA and AU). Ciprofloxacin (750 mg twice a day) was administered for 12 months with a 12-month followup. End points of the study included time to disease relapse and measures of disease severity. RESULTS: There was no difference between groups in time to disease relapse, joint inflammation, number of joints and enthesis involved in patients with ReA, or signs and symptoms of AU. CONCLUSION: Long-term treatment of ReA and AU with ciprofloxacin made no statistically significant difference to the natural history of these diseases or their severity.