ω-3 Fatty Acids Infusions as Adjuvant Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Background:The present study investigated the efficacy and safety of parenteral ω-3 fatty acids (ω-3 FA) in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods:We performed a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study in 23 patients with moderate to severe RA. Patients received either 0.2 g of fish oil emulsion/kg (active) or 0.9% saline (placebo) infusion intravenously for 14 consecutive days, followed by 20 weeks of 0.05 g of fish oil/kg (active) or paraffin wax (placebo) ingested orally as capsules. A decrease in swollen and tender joint counts was the primary efficacy measure.Results:At baseline, both swollen and tender joint counts were not significantly different between patients in the treatment and placebo groups. Twenty patients completed the infusion portion of the study, and 13 completed the oral portion. Swollen joint count was significantly lower in the ω-3 FA group compared with the placebo group after 1 week of infusion (P = .002) as well as after 2 weeks of infusion (P = .046). ...