Study: Guidelines for Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis with Systemic Glucocorticoids are Insufficient

A new study has found that current recommendations on the use of systemic glucocorticoids for managing rheumatoid arthritis are inadequate.

The researchers performed a systematic literature review and located articles on the pharmacological treatment of rheumatoid arthritis using PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases. The quality of the articles was assessed with the AGREE II tool, and relevant information regarding the use of glucocorticoids was examined closely.
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According to their findings, the guidelines agreed that low dosages of glucocorticoids for short periods of time was an appropriate option for treating rheumatoid arthritis, but the recommendations were vague due to the scarcity of reliable and detailed evidence.

The quality assessment of the studies revealed that many important facets of glucocorticoid therapy were partially or completely neglected, that many articles had flaws, and that the nomenclature was not uniform.

The low quality of evidence in existing studies on glucocorticoid therapy was reflected in the ambiguous recommendations available in guidelines for treating rheumatoid arthritis. Researchers concluded that more rigorous evaluations of glucocorticoid dosages, timing, and duration are needed to assess the best treatment options for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and nomenclature for glucocorticoid therapy should be uniformed.

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Palmowski Y, Buttgereit T, Dejaco C, et al. The “official view” on glucocorticoids in rheumatoid arthritis. A systematic review of international guidelines and consensus statements [published online December 28,2016]. Arthritis Care & Research. doi:10.1002/acr.23185.