If you or a loved one suffers from arthritis, you’re probably familiar with how distressing this disease can be. Moreover, you would also be frustrated with the side effects that several arthritis drugs can cause.
A recent clinical trial has explored whether the benefit of the use of steroids in arthritis outweighs the risks and side effects of this drug.
Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease, which means that your immune system attacks healthy cells in your body by mistake, causing inflammation (painful swelling) in the affected parts of the body. RA simultaneously affects multiple joints in the body.
The common treatments for RA include steroids, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). All of these reduce the pain and swelling of the joints.
Since the 1950s a group of steroids called Glucocorticoids have been used in low doses for the treatment of a type of arthritis known as Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Prednisolone (a type of glucocorticoid) is a steroid that is used to reduce inflammation. However, prednisolone is also associated with side effects, such as weight gain, mood changes, and increased risk of infection. So, the balance of benefits and harm of this drug needs to be found.
A recent clinical study published in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases has investigated the safety and effectiveness of using prednisolone (a type of steroid) in patients with RA.
The clinical trial, known as the GLORIA trial, aimed to investigate the effects of low-dose prednisolone on old patients with RA.
The clinical trial involved 451 patients who were divided into two groups. One group received prednisolone while the other group received a placebo. The patients were followed for 2 years during which the researchers monitored their disease activity, joint damage, and overall health.