Method of therapeutically treating a warm blooded animal afflicted with an autoimmune disease

A method of therapeutically treating a warm blooded animal afflicted with an autoimmune disease selected from the group consisting of rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatic fever, eczema or lupus erythematosis which consists essentially of

• administering to said warm blooded animal an amount effective to therapeutically treat the rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatic fever, eczema or lupus erythematosis of a compound selected from the group consisting of
• I. ethereally monosubstituted monosaccharides having the formula M.sub.1 --O--Y and therapeutically effective and pharmaceutically acceptable organic acid and inorganic acid salts thereof, and
• II. etheral monosubstitutions of monosaccharide derivatives having the formula M.sub.2 --O--Y and therapeutically effective and pharmaceutically acceptable organic acid and inorganic acid salts thereof,
• wherein:
• (1) M.sub.1 is the residue of a non-derivatized hexose,
• (2) M.sub.2 is the residue of a hexose which has been derivatized with a substance selected from the group consisting of
• (a) an alcohol containing 1-18 carbon atoms to produce an ether group at the site of an available hydroxyl residue,
• (b) an aldehyde containing 1-18 carbon atoms to produce an acetal group at site of an available hydroxy residue,
• (c) a ketone containing 1-18 carbon atoms to produce a ketal group at the site of an available hydroxyl residue, and
• (d) an organic acid residue containing 1-18 carbon atoms to produce an ester group at the site of an available hydroxyl residue, and
• (3) Y in each instance is selected from the group consisting of (a) piperidyl and pyrrolidyl, and (b) monovalent organic radicals having the formula ##STR6## wherein R.sub.1 is a divalent organic radical having a carbon chain length of 1-4 carbon atoms and R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 are selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and monovalent organic radicals having a carbon chain length of 1-4 carbon atoms.