Glucocorticoid

Rheumatologists should assess for PR3- and MPO-ANCA using a “high-quality antigen-specific assay” as the primary testing method for patients suspected of ANCA-associated vasculitis, according to updated EULAR recommendations.

Cumulative exposure to glucocorticoids appeared associated with risk for adrenal insufficiency among patients with severe asthma, according to a study published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.

Glucocorticoids are still one of the most commonly used treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, with an estimated up to 50% of patients with RA in the United States using them long-term as of 2021.

Glucocorticoids can do a lot of harm over time. In this episode, John Stone, MD, MPH, walks us through the Glucocorticoid Toxicity Index, a validated tool to measure steroid toxicity over time that we’ll be seeing more of in the future.

COVID-19 fears and complications are likely to persist far into the future for immunocompromised individuals, a speaker noted at the Basic and Clinical Immunology for the Busy Clinician symposium.

Although initially more expensive, a physical therapy course for knee osteoarthritis is more cost-effective after 1 year than a course of glucocorticoid injections, according to data published in JAMA Network Open.

In this video from ACR Convergence 2021, Kathryn Dao, MD, provided insight on the data from the GLORIA trial, which found that steroids improved disease activity “but at a cost.”

Weekly tocilizumab delays initial flare and reduces glucocorticoid exposure in patients with relapsing and new-onset giant cell arteritis, according to data published in Rheumatology.

Early identification and timely intervention are key to treating children with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, a preventive strategy outlined in five important principles by a speaker at ACR Convergence 2021.

Among patients with rheumatoid arthritis, 30 days of glucocorticoid use in 6 months is associated with 15% increased odds of major adverse cardiac events in the next 6 months, according to data presented at ACR Convergence 2021.