Observational studyClinical rheumatology2019
Does leflunomide have a role in giant cell arteritis? An open-label study.
Observational study in Clinical rheumatology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 54 citations in OpenAlex.
- European Headache Federation recommendations for neurologists managing giant cell arteritis.The journal of headache and pain · 2020Pooled it
- A systematic literature review to inform the 2025 EULAR recommendations for the management of polymyalgia rheumatica and primary large vessel vasculitis: management of disease including relapse and complications.EULAR rheumatology open · 2026Review
- Challenges and Future Trends in Large Vessel Vasculitis.Circulation · 2026Review
- Review
- The effectiveness and safety of leflunomide in the treatment of giant cell arteritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Rheumatology advances in practice · 2025Review
- Illness Burden and Unmet Patient Needs in Giant Cell Arteritis: Current State and Future Prospects.Open access rheumatology : research and reviews · 2025Review
- Current Perspectives in Giant Cell Arteritis: Can We Better Connect Pathogenesis and Treatment?Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Review
- Giant cell arteritis: reviewing the advancing diagnostics and management.Eye (London, England) · 2023Review
- Disease stratification in GCA and PMR: state of the art and future perspectives.Nature reviews. Rheumatology · 2023Review
- Comparison of the efficacy and safety of leflunomide versus placebo combined with basic prednisone therapy in patients with active disease phase of Takayasu arteritis: study protocol for a randomized, double-blinded controlled trial (Takayasu arteritis clinical trial in China: TACTIC).Therapeutic advances in chronic disease · 2023Article
- COVID-19 among patients with giant cell arteritis: a single-centre observational study from Slovenia.Clinical rheumatology · 2022Review
- Performance of leflunomide as a steroid-sparing agent in giant cell arteritis: A single-center, open-label study.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Article
- Current developments in the diagnosis and treatment of giant cell arteritis.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Review
- Giant Cell Arteritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Test Accuracy and Benefits and Harms of Common Treatments.ACR open rheumatology · 2021Review
- Clinical pathways for patients with giant cell arteritis during the COVID-19 pandemic: an international perspective.The Lancet. Rheumatology · 2021Review
- One Giant Step for Giant Cell Arteritis: Updates in Diagnosis and Treatment.Current treatment options in neurology · 2021Review
- From Active to Non-active Giant Cell Arteritis: Longitudinal Monitoring of Patients on Glucocorticoid Therapy in Combination With Leflunomide.Frontiers in medicine · 2021Article
- [S2k guidelines: management of large-vessel vasculitis].Zeitschrift fur Rheumatologie · 2020Review
- Article
- A new era for giant cell arteritis.Eye (London, England) · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Glucocorticoid monotherapy has been the mainstay treatment of giant cell arteritis (GCA) for decades. We aimed to evaluate the role of leflunomide as a steroid-sparing agent in GCA. This open-label study included incipient GCA patients followed for at least 48 weeks at a single secondary/tertiary rheumatology centre. At the time of diagnosis, patients received glucocorticoids. At week 12 of follow-up, leflunomide 10 mg qd was recommended as an adjunctive therapy to all patients without contraindications. The decision to start the leflunomide was patient-dependent. The number of relapses, a cumulative glucocorticoid dose during follow-up and treatment-related adverse events (AE) were recorded and compared between glucocorticoid-only and leflunomide groups. Seventy-six patients (65.8% female, median (IQR) age 73.7 (66.1-78.8) years) were followed for a median (IQR) 96 (86-96) weeks. Thirty out of 76 (39.5%) patients received leflunomide at week 12 (leflunomide group); the others continued treatment with glucocorticoid (glucocorticoid-only group). During the first 48 weeks of follow-up, 22 patients relapsed, 4 (13.3%) in leflunomide group and 18 (39.1%) in glucocorticoid-only group. The difference was statistically significant (p = 0.02; NNT 3.9 (95% CI 2.2-17.4)). Furthermore, 17/30 (56.7%) patients in the leflunomide group managed to stop glucocorticoid at week 48 (with one relapse (5.9%) shortly afterwards). The cumulative glucocorticoid dose at the last visit was lower in the leflunomide group than in the glucocorticoid-only group (p = 0.01). Our findings indicate the steroid-sparing effect of leflunomide in GCA.
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Registered trials
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.