The possible relationship between the susceptibility to inhibition by gold of the enzymes which catalyse thede novosynthesis of pyrimidine nucleotides and the occurrence of idiosyncratic gold-induced neutropoenia has been investigated. The following groups of patients were studied: those who had experienced granulocytopoenia during chrysotherapy for erosive rheumatoid arthritis, patients receiving chrysotherapy without evidence of neutropoenia, some of the latter were studied sequentially during their course of treatment. The results were compared with the following control groups: normal subjects studied on one occasion, normal subjects studied sequentially for 10 months, a group of non-neutropoenic patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. The latter were included because one patient with neutropoenia and changes in the gold sensitivity of some of the enzymes developed systemic lupus erythematosus having presented initially with classical rheumatoid arthritis.
展开▼
