Table 2.
Clinical studies on colchicine in treatment of recurrent pericarditis.
| First author (study name) | Study type | Patient number | Clinical setting | Colchicine dosage and duration | Adverse events | Summary and Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rodriguez De La Serna [13], 1987 | Case series | 3 | Steroid dependent recurrent pericarditis | 1mg/day for 36 months then 0.5mg/day | 0% | - Recurrence rate 0%. |
| Guindo J [14], 1990 | Case series | 9 | Recurrent pericarditis | 1mg/day | 0% | - Recurrent rate 0%. |
| Millaire A [15], 1994 | Case series | 19 | Recurrent pericarditis | Loading of 3mg then 1mg/day for 37 months. | 0% | - Recurrence rate 21%, |
| Adler Y [16], 1995 | Case series | 8 | Recurrent pericarditis | 1-1.5mg/day for 3-9 months. | 50% | - Recurrence rate 0%. |
| Artom G [17], 2005 | Case series | 119 | Recurrent pericariditis | Variable, 9-48 months | Not mentioned | - Recurrence rate 18%, vs 30% after colchicine discontinued. |
| Imazio M [19], 2005 (CORE trial) | Prospective, randomized, open-label. | 84 | 1st recurrence pericarditis, colchicine on top of aspirin | 1.0-2.0 mg the first day and then 0.5-1.0 mg/d for 6 months (weight adjusted) | Colchicine 7% vs control 14%, NS | |
| - Recurrence rate: colchicine 24% vs control 50%, p=0.02, NNT 4. | - Prior steroid use increase risk of recurrence. | Imazio M [20], 2011 (CORP trial) | Prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter study | 120 | 1st recurrence of pericarditis, on top of Aspirin or NSAID | 1.0-2.0 mg the first day and then 0.5-1.0 mg/d for 6 months |
| Colchicine 7% vs control 7%, NS | - Recurrence rate: colchicine 24% vs placebo 55%, p<0.001 NNT 3. | - Persistent symptoms at 72 hours: colchicine 23% vs placebo 53%, p<0.001. | Imazio M [21], 2014 | (CORP-2 trial) |
Prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study
240
≥two episodes of pericarditis, on top of Aspirin or NSAID
0·5 or 1·0 mg daily for 6 months without a loading dose
Colchicine 11.7% vs control 8·3%, NS
- Recurrence rate: Colchicine 21·6% vs placebo 42·5%, p=0·0009, NNT5. – Persistent symptom at 72 h: Colchicine 19·2% vs placebo 44·2%, p=0.0001.
- Subgroup analysis showed significant reduction of recurrent pericarditis only in idiopathic pericarditis.
- presence of pericariditis independently predicts future recurrence.
NS = non-significant, NNT = number needed to treat.