Colchicine

OBJECTIVES: To review the literature and provide an update on the mechanisms of action and therapeutic uses of oral colchicine in arthritis and inflammatory conditions. METHODS: We performed PubMed database searches through June 2014 for relevant studies in the English literature published since the last update of colchicine in 2008. Searches encompassed colchicine mechanisms of action and clinical applications in medical conditions. A total of 381 articles were reviewed...

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to determine whether colchicine 0.5 mg/day can reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with clinically stable coronary disease. BACKGROUND: The presence of activated neutrophils in culprit atherosclerotic plaques of patients with unstable coronary disease raises the possibility that inhibition of neutrophil function with colchicine may reduce the risk of plaque instability and thereby improve clinical outcomes in patients with stable coronary disease...

AIMS: No drug has been proven efficacious to prevent the post-pericardiotomy syndrome (PPS), but colchicine seems safe and effective for the treatment and prevention of pericarditis. The aim of the COlchicine for the Prevention of the Post-pericardiotomy Syndrome (COPPS) trial is to test the efficacy and safety of colchicine for the primary prevention of the PPS. METHODS AND RESULTS: The COPPS study is a multicentre, double-blind, randomized trial. On the third post-operative day, 360 patients (mean age 65...

The objective of the present study was to test whether a perioperative course of colchicine, in patients who underwent standard coronary artery bypass grafting, would result in reduced postoperative increase of myocardial injury biomarker levels. Patients were prospectively randomized to colchicine or placebo starting 48 hours before scheduled coronary artery bypass grafting and for 8 days thereafter (0.5 mg twice daily). The primary outcome parameter was maximal high-sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT) concentration within 48 hours after surgery...

BACKGROUND: Colchicine is effective for the treatment of recurrent pericarditis. However, conclusive data are lacking regarding the use of colchicine during a first attack of acute pericarditis and in the prevention of recurrent symptoms. METHODS: In a multicenter, double-blind trial, eligible adults with acute pericarditis were randomly assigned to receive either colchicine (at a dose of 0.5 mg twice daily for 3 months for patients weighing >70 kg or 0.5 mg once daily for patients weighing ≤70 kg) or placebo in addition to conventional antiinflammatory therapy with aspirin or ibuprofen...

OBJECTIVE: Despite widespread use of colchicine, the evidence basis for oral colchicine therapy and dosing in acute gout remains limited. The aim of this trial was to compare low-dose colchicine (abbreviated at 1 hour) and high-dose colchicine (prolonged over 6 hours) with placebo in gout flare, using regimens producing comparable maximum plasma concentrations in healthy volunteers. METHODS: This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study compared self-administered low-dose colchicine (1...

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is the most common form of monogenic autoinflammatory conditions, and response to colchicine has been considered as one of its distinctive features among other hereditary periodic fever disorders. Prophylactic colchicine has been shown to be effective in the prevention of inflammatory attacks and development of amyloidosis. However, the highest tolerable doses of colchicine may not be adequate enough to manage these goals in approximately 5% of FMF patients. Inadequate response to colchicine in fully compliant FMF patients may be associated with genetic and/or environmental factors affecting disease severity and colchicine bioavailability...

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory processes have been identified as key mediators of the deleterious effects of ischemia/reperfusion in ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction. Colchicine is a substance with potent anti-inflammatory properties, suitable for safe use in patients with cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that a short course of colchicine treatment could lead to reduced infarct size. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients presenting with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction ≤12 hours from pain onset (treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention) were randomly assigned to colchicine or placebo for 5 days...

BACKGROUND: Colchicine may have beneficial effects on cardiovascular (CV) disease, but there are sparse data on its CV effect among patients with gout. We examined the potential association between colchicine and CV risk and all-cause mortality in gout. METHODS: The analyses used data from an electronic medical record (EMR) database linked with Medicare claims (2006-2011). To be eligible for the study cohort, subjects must have had a diagnosis of gout in the EMR and Medicare claims...