Vasculitis & polymyalgia rheumatica
Glucocorticoid tapering strategies in polymyalgia rheumatica: a systematic literature review
Authors' conclusion
Despite wide variation in GC tapering duration, clinical outcomes appeared broadly similar across studies, suggesting that faster tapering may not necessarily compromise outcomes.
Study context
- Population
- Prospective studies of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) reporting GC tapering protocols and outcomes (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library)11 studies (9 RCTs, 2 cohorts)
- Exposure
- Published GC tapering strategies of varying duration
- Outcome
- Impact of GC tapering strategies on remission, flare rates, GC discontinuation, cumulative GC doses and PROs
Methodological detailsdescriptive synthesis (heterogeneity), prospective studies, independent dual extraction and risk-of-bias assessment
- Descriptive synthesis (heterogeneity)
- Prospective studies
- Independent dual extraction and risk-of-bias assessment
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Duration of tapering protocols
16-80 weeks
One-year remission rates
37-58%
GC-free rates
33-54%
Flare rates, generally high; did not appear to differ according to tapering speed
57-100%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Glucocorticoid tapering strategies in polymyalgia rheumatica: a systematic literature review. Rheumatology (Oxford). Published 12 February 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →