Main results of current evidence for the treatment of RA with glucocorticoids
| Research question | Remarks | Signs and symptoms | Function | Radiographic damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridging | ||||
| Gotzsche and Johansen11 | <15 mg GCs | ++ | Not reported | Not reported |
| 1 month | ||||
| van der Veen and Bijlsma13 | Pulse GC | ++ | Not reported | Not reported |
| GC added to DMARD monotherapy | ||||
| Svensson et al14 | Low dose | ++ | ++ | ++ |
| Wassenberg et al15 | Low dose | + | Not reported | ++ |
| Hansen et al16 | Low-dose flexible | ++ | ++ | ± |
| Capell et al17 | Low dose | + | + | − |
| Choy et al18 | Intramuscularly monthly | ++ | ++ | ++ |
| GC added to DMARD combinations | ||||
| Boers et al19 | 60 mg tapered in 6 weeks to 7.5 mg | ++ | ++ | ++ |
| Goekoop-Ruiterman et al20 | 60 mg tapered in 7 weeks to 7.5 mg | ++ * | + | ++ |
| Treatment arm 3 | ||||
| Möttönen et al21 | Low dose | ++ | − | ++ |
++, Statistically significant effect; +, non-statistically significant trend; ±, doubtful effect; −, no effect.
↵* Results are difficult to interpret, since medication adjustments are based on DAS44 results every 3 months.
DMARD, disease-modifying antirheumatic drug; GC, glucocorticoid.