[Etanercept combined with Tripterygium wilfordii polyglycoside for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in the elderly: a clinical study].

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of etanercept plus Tripterygium wilfordii polyglycoside (TWP) in elderly patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Totally 46 elderly patients with active RA were randomly assigned to the treatment group (22 cases) and the control group (24 cases). All patients received subcutaneous injection of etanercept, 25 mg each time, twice per week.