Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Remission achieved after 2 years treatment with low-dose prednisolone in addition to disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs in early rheumatoid arthritis is associated with reduced joint destruction still present after 4 years: an open 2-year continuation study

Hafstroem, I. ; Albertsson, K. ; Boonen, A. ; van der Heijde, D. ; Landewe, R. and Svensson, Björn LU (2009) In Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 68(4). p.508-513
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate if remission induced by low-dose prednisolone during the first 2 years of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the BARFOT glucocorticoid (GC) study had a sustained effect on radiological damage for a total of 4 years. Methods: A total of 150 of 211 eligible patients with RA who had been randomised to the 7.5 mg prednisolone group ( P) or no prednisolone group (NoP) in addition to the initial disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs were included. Radiographs of hands and feet were scored using the Sharp-van der Heijde scoring method. A patient was considered to be in remission if the 28-joint count disease activity score was <2.6. Results: Mean (SD) age was 53 (14) and 57 ( 12) years for the patients in the P and NoP groups,... (More)
Objective: To evaluate if remission induced by low-dose prednisolone during the first 2 years of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the BARFOT glucocorticoid (GC) study had a sustained effect on radiological damage for a total of 4 years. Methods: A total of 150 of 211 eligible patients with RA who had been randomised to the 7.5 mg prednisolone group ( P) or no prednisolone group (NoP) in addition to the initial disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs were included. Radiographs of hands and feet were scored using the Sharp-van der Heijde scoring method. A patient was considered to be in remission if the 28-joint count disease activity score was <2.6. Results: Mean (SD) age was 53 (14) and 57 ( 12) years for the patients in the P and NoP groups, respectively. 64% were female, 64% rheumatoid factor positive, and disease duration at baseline was 6 months. At 2 years the proportion of patients in remission in the P and NoP groups was 55 vs 30%, p = 0.003. Longitudinal analysis showed that over the entire course of the disease, patients on prednisolone had a higher probability of being in remission. Patients in remission at 2 years, compared with those not in remission, had significantly lower total Sharp score, erosion score and joint space narrowing score at 2 and 4 years. The changes in bone mineral density during the 4 years did not differ between those in remission and those with active disease, and were similar in the two treatment groups. Conclusions: Prednisolone 7.5 mg daily in addition to disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs increases the rate of remission in patients with early RA, which has a beneficial and sustained effect on radiological damage. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
volume
68
issue
4
pages
508 - 513
publisher
BMJ Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • wos:000264196000010
  • scopus:65249094231
  • pmid:18420939
ISSN
1468-2060
DOI
10.1136/ard.2008.087833
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a3de8526-ae37-44cf-9f98-c6c0f7f13af8 (old id 1405102)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:02:38
date last changed
2022-01-27 17:00:51
@article{a3de8526-ae37-44cf-9f98-c6c0f7f13af8,
  abstract     = {{Objective: To evaluate if remission induced by low-dose prednisolone during the first 2 years of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the BARFOT glucocorticoid (GC) study had a sustained effect on radiological damage for a total of 4 years. Methods: A total of 150 of 211 eligible patients with RA who had been randomised to the 7.5 mg prednisolone group ( P) or no prednisolone group (NoP) in addition to the initial disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs were included. Radiographs of hands and feet were scored using the Sharp-van der Heijde scoring method. A patient was considered to be in remission if the 28-joint count disease activity score was &lt;2.6. Results: Mean (SD) age was 53 (14) and 57 ( 12) years for the patients in the P and NoP groups, respectively. 64% were female, 64% rheumatoid factor positive, and disease duration at baseline was 6 months. At 2 years the proportion of patients in remission in the P and NoP groups was 55 vs 30%, p = 0.003. Longitudinal analysis showed that over the entire course of the disease, patients on prednisolone had a higher probability of being in remission. Patients in remission at 2 years, compared with those not in remission, had significantly lower total Sharp score, erosion score and joint space narrowing score at 2 and 4 years. The changes in bone mineral density during the 4 years did not differ between those in remission and those with active disease, and were similar in the two treatment groups. Conclusions: Prednisolone 7.5 mg daily in addition to disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs increases the rate of remission in patients with early RA, which has a beneficial and sustained effect on radiological damage.}},
  author       = {{Hafstroem, I. and Albertsson, K. and Boonen, A. and van der Heijde, D. and Landewe, R. and Svensson, Björn}},
  issn         = {{1468-2060}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{508--513}},
  publisher    = {{BMJ Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases}},
  title        = {{Remission achieved after 2 years treatment with low-dose prednisolone in addition to disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs in early rheumatoid arthritis is associated with reduced joint destruction still present after 4 years: an open 2-year continuation study}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/ard.2008.087833}},
  doi          = {{10.1136/ard.2008.087833}},
  volume       = {{68}},
  year         = {{2009}},
}