TREATMENT OF RECURRENT APHTHOUS STOMATITIS WITH COLCHICINE AND ORAL COETICOID

Abstract

Purpose: To compare the therapeutic effects of colchicine versus oral corticoid in the treatment of recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS).

Methods: In an open prospective study, clinical trial, 36 patients with RAS were randomly divided into two groups for treatment with oral corticoid (Group 1), initially at 20 mg methylprednisolone daily in the morning for 1 week, with reduction every 4mg after 2 weeks and group 2: colchicine (1mg daily in the first 4 weeks and 0,5mg daily in the next 4 weeks). All patients were followed-up 8 weeks after treatment and assessed every four weeks. 

Results: Both colchicine and oral corticoid treatments significantly reduced RAS, reducing the number of ulcers, ulcer size, ulcer healing time and pain severity (p <0,01). The response of oral corticosteroids group was better than colchicin at the time of evaluation after 1 week, 4 weeks, 12 weeks and 16 weeks, but this difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The difference between the 2 groups was only statistically significant with p<0.05 at the end of treatment. Both drugs were well tolerated. The rate of patients experiencing side effects was quite low (the oral corticosteroid group was 16.7% and the colchicine group was 5.6%).

Conclusion: Both colchicine and oral corticoid significantly reduced RAS and well tolerated. With the regime in the study, the oral corticoid was more effective than colchicine in decrease of the number and size of ulcer, ulcer healing time and pain severity at the end of treatment. The recurrent rate in the two groups was equivalent (p>0,05).