Minocycline in rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, potentially incapacitating disease of unknown etiology that affects the many systems of the human body, most notably the synovial lining of the joints. Clinicians have suggested that RA may have an infectious etiology, with possible agents including viruses and bacteria such as Mycoplasma. They believe that tetracycline antibiotics, especially minocycline, are the appropriate treatment for RA. Several clinical studies on minocycline therapy have shown that it is an effective and adequately tolerated drug in patients with RA, including those who did not respond to previous therapies.