Short Term Efficacy of a Starting Dose of 12.5 mg of Prednisone in Polymyalgia Rheumatica Patients

Summary

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is a common inflammatory condition affecting elderly people and involving the girdles. The mainstay of treatment is oral glucocorticoids (GC), with the recent BSR-BHPR guidelines suggesting an initial prednisone dose comprised between 15 and 20 mg as appropriate. However, probably because of the dramatic response of PMR to GC, randomized controlled trials of treatment are lacking. As a result, there is no evidence from controlled studies on the efficacy of different initial doses or drug tapering. Objective of the study: to test if 12.5 mg prednisone/day is an adequate starting dose in polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and to evaluate clinical predictors of drug response. Methods: 60 consecutive PMR patients will be treated with a starting dose of 12,5 mg/day prednisone. Clinical, laboratory, and ultrasonographic features will be recorded as possible predictors of response to prednisone. Remission is defined as disappearance of at least 75% of the signs and symptoms of PMR and normalization of ESR and CRP within the first month, a scenario allowing steroid tapering.

Timeline

Start

2009-01

Primary completion

2010-01

Completion

2010-05

Publications

• Background Dasgupta B, Borg FA, Hassan N, Barraclough K, Bourke B, Fulcher J, Hollywood J, Hutchings A, Kyle V, Nott J, Power M, Samanta A; BSR and BHPR Standards, Guidelines and Audit Working Group. BSR and BHPR guidelines for the management of polymyalgia rheumatica. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2010 Jan;49(1):186-90. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/kep303a. Epub 2009 Nov 12. No abstract available.
• Cimmino MA, Parodi M, Montecucco C, Caporali R. The correct prednisone starting dose in polymyalgia rheumatica is related to body weight but not to disease severity. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2011 May 14;12(1):94. doi: 10.1186/1471-2474-12-94.

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Indications