Vasculitis & polymyalgia rheumatica
Effectiveness and safety of a 26-week taper regimen of glucocorticoid in GCA patients: Results from a prospective cohort study
Authors' conclusion
A 26 week taper regimen of GC was effective and safe in inducing and maintaining remission in a sizeable proportion of newly diagnosed GCA patients. However, the frequency of GC-related adverse events was high.
Study context
- Population
- Treatment-naive patients with a new diagnosis of biopsy-proven GCA enrolled in the glucocorticoids (GC) arm of the START project
- Participants
- 22 patients
- Outcome
- Rate of relapse-free remission
- Follow-up
- Week 52
Methodological detailssingle-group, Patients included between December 2018 and February 2022
- Single-group
- Patients included between December 2018 and February 2022
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Patients in relapse-free remission at week 52 (single cohort, 26-week GC taper)
10
45 %, 95 % CI 24–68
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Secondary outcomes
Relapse-free remission at end of follow-up · median (IQR) follow-up 35 (22-40) months
- Patients in relapse-free remission (single cohort)
- 7 (32 %, 95 % CI 14-55)
Relapse during follow-up
- Patients with at least one relapse
- 15/22 (68 %)
- Visual or cerebrovascular manifestations during relapses
- 0
Incident aortic damage on CT angiography at end of follow-up
- New aortic dilation, significant progression of aortic damage or large vessel stenosis
- 0
- 18 patients with baseline large-vessel imaging underwent CT angiography
Safety
| Outcome | Values |
|---|---|
| At least one GC-related AE | GC 68 % |
Visual or cerebrovascular manifestations during relapses
- No patients developed visual or cerebrovascular manifestations during relapses
Original publication
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