Vasculitis & polymyalgia rheumatica
Rapid glucocorticoid tapering regimen in patients with giant cell arteritis: a single centre cohort study
Authors' conclusion
We could demonstrate that 32% of patients remained relapse-free and 19% off glucocorticoids at 1 year after treatment with a rapid glucocorticoid tapering regimen. Most relapses were minor and could be handled with temporarily increased glucocorticoid doses. Consequently, the CSD at 12 months was much lower than reported in published cohorts.
Study context
- Population
- Newly diagnosed giant cell arteritis (GCA) treated with GCs only, University Hospital Basel64% women, median age 72 years
- Participants
- 47 participants
- Outcome
- Relapse
Methodological detailssingle-centre, Data collected from patients' records
- Single-centre
- Data collected from patients' records
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Patients who relapsed (of 47)
32
68%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Relapse type
- Minor relapses
- 28/32
- Isolated increased inflammatory markers
- 19/32
- Major relapse with permanent vision loss
- 1
Time until relapse
- Median time until relapse, days (IQR 71-127)
- 99
GC dose at relapse
- Median GC dose at relapse, mg (IQR 5-16)
- 8
Stopped GC without relapse within 1 year
- Patients who stopped GC after a median 35 weeks and did not relapse within 1 year (of 47)
- 9
Cumulative steroid dose (cumulative steroid doses (CSD)) · 12 months
- Median CSD, mg
- 4164
- Lower compared with published data
Safety
- Any GC-associated adverse effect
- 40%
- New onset or worsening hypertension
- 19%
- Diabetes
- 11%
- Severe infections
- 11%
Original publication
Rapid glucocorticoid tapering regimen in patients with giant cell arteritis: a single centre cohort study. RMD Open. Published 17 July 2023. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →