Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24729402›Full record

ReviewRheumatology (Oxford, England)2014

Benefits and risks of low-dose glucocorticoid treatment in the patient with rheumatoid arthritis.

Arthur Kavanaugh, Alvin F Wells

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Rheumatology (Oxford, England), 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
30citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

30 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Guideline
  2. Effects of glucocorticoids on osteoporosis in rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2020
    Pooled it
  3. Trial
  4. Trial
  5. Trial
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Proteasome Inhibitors: Potential in Rheumatoid Arthritis Therapy?International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Review
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Observational
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Arthur KavanaughDepartment of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA and Department of Rheumatology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA. akavanaugh@ucsd.edu.
Alvin F WellsDepartment of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA and Department of Rheumatology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Glucocorticosteroids (GCs) have been employed extensively for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other autoimmune and systemic inflammatory disorders. Their use is supported by extensive literature and their utility is reflected in their incorporation into current treatment guidelines for RA and other conditions. Nevertheless, there is still some concern regarding the long-term use of GCs because of their potential for clinically important adverse events, particularly with an extended duration of treatment and the use of high doses. This article systematically reviews the efficacy for radiological and clinical outcomes for low-dose GCs (defined as ≤10 mg/day prednisone equivalent) in the treatment of RA. Results reviewed indicated that low-dose GCs, usually administered in combination with synthetic DMARDs, most often MTX, significantly improve structural outcomes and decrease symptom severity in patients with RA. Safety data indicate that GC-associated adverse events are dose related, but still occur in patients receiving low doses of these agents. Concerns about side effects associated with GCs have prompted the development of new strategies aimed at improving safety without compromising efficacy. These include altering the structure of existing GCs and the development of delayed-release GC formulations so that drug delivery is timed to match greatest symptom severity. Optimal use of low-dose GCs has the potential to improve long-term outcomes for patients with RA.

Indexed as

Arthritis, RheumatoidDisease ProgressionGlucocorticoidsHumansRadiographyRisk AssessmentSeverity of Illness IndexTreatment OutcomeGlucocorticoidsbenefit–riskdisease modifyingglucocorticoidsprednisonerheumatoid arthritistreatment strategies

Identifiers

PMID24729402
PMCPMC4165844

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.