Key clinical point: The tapering of low-dose prednisolone over a 3-month schedule led to a moderate increase in disease activity to the levels of the placebo group, suggesting the feasibility of withdrawal of low-dose prednisolone in elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after successful completion of 2 years of therapy.
Major finding: After 3 months of tapering, increase in the Disease Activity Score for 28 Joints was moderate and not significantly different for the prednisolone and placebo groups (between-group difference 0.16; P = .12), with flares being only numerically higher in the prednisolone vs placebo group (45% vs 33%; P = .12).
Study details: This observational controlled cohort study included 191 patients with RA age ≥ 65 years from the GLORIA trial who underwent linear tapering of 5 mg/day prednisolone or placebo after 2 years of administration, to zero over a period of 3 months.
Disclosures: This study was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. Several authors declared ties with various sources.
Source: Almayali AAH et al. Three-month tapering and discontinuation of long-term, low-dose glucocorticoids in senior patients with rheumatoid arthritis is feasible and safe: Placebo-controlled double blind tapering after the GLORIA trial. Ann Rheum Dis. 2023 (Aug 4). doi: 10.1136/ard-2023-223977