Rheumatoid arthritis glucocorticoids

Unfortunately steroids merely suppress the inflammation while the underlying cause of the disease remains. Another serious concern about steroids is that of toxicity. The abmpt withdrawal of glucocorticoid steroids results in acute adrenal insufficiency. Long term use may induce osteoporosis, peptidic ulcers, the retention of fluid, or an increased susceptibiUty to infections. Because of these problems, steroids are rarely the first line of treatment for any inflammatory condition, and their use in rheumatoid arthritis begins after more conservative therapies have failed. 

In the pathogenesis of many chronic inflammatory diseases (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, glomerulonephritis, colitis ulcerosa, Morbus Crohn, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis) autoimmune processes play an important role, too. Although first of all nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents or glucocorticoids should be applied, immunosuppressive agents may also be indicated. 

Major risk factors include current smoker, low body weight (<127 lb in postmenopausal women), history of osteoporotic fracture in a first-degree relative, and personal history of low-trauma fracture as an adult. Other independent risk factors include age, high bone turnover, low body mass index (<19 kg/m2), rheumatoid arthritis, and glucocorticoid use. Decision tools may help identify individuals who should undergo BMD testing, such as the Osteoporosis Risk Assessment Instrument and the Simple Calculated Osteoporosis Risk Estimation. 

A glucocorticoid-resistance model has been proposed to provide an explanation for how stress might influence diseases in which excessive inflammation is observed (e.g., allergies, autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, and cardiovascular disease). In these cases, chronic stress diminishes the immune system s sensitivity to glucocorticoids that normally terminate the inflammatory response. For example, in a study of a group of 50 parents caring for a child undergoing treatment for pediatric cancer, whole blood of parents of cancer patients exhibited a lesser dexamethasone-dependent suppression of IL-6 production in vitro compared to parents of medically healthy children.94... 

Sihvonen S, Korpela M, Mustonen J, Huhtala H, Karstila K, Pasternack A. Mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with low-dose oral glucocorticoids. A population-based cohort study. J Rheumatol 2006 33 1740-6. 

Glucocorticoids are cautiously employed in various disease states, such as rheumatoid arthritis, although they still should be regarded as adjunctive rather than primary treatment in the overall management scheme. The toxic effects of steroids are severe enough that a number of factors must be considered when their prolonged use is contemplated. 

Glucocorticoids induce cataract formation, particularly in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. An increase in intraocular pressure related to a decreased outflow of aqueous humor is also a frequent side effect of periocular, topical, or systemic administration. Induction of ocular hypertension, which occurs in about 35% of the general population after glucocorticoid administration, depends on the specific drug, the dose, the frequency of administration, and the glucocorticoid responsiveness of the patient. 

A. Glucocorticoid treatment of rheumatoid arthritis does not eradicate all symptoms, nor does it reverse the degenerative process. Suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is an unwanted side effect of glucocorticoid therapy. While development of a sense of well-being may be attributed to the relief of symptoms, it is not the primary basis for employing the potent glucocorticoids. 

DaSilva JA and Bijlsma JW. Optimizing glucocorticoid therapy in rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatol Dis Chn North Am 2000 26 859-880. 

As soon as corticosteroids, such as cortisone, were used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (glucocorticoid activity), important undesirable side effects appeared (sodium retention). In view of lowering the sodium retention, while increasing the anti-inflammatory activity. Fried performed various chemical modifications. Thus, he could observe that introducing a fluorine atom at the 9a position of the hydrocortisone acetate highly enhanced (11 times) the glucocorticoid activity, while the undesired sodium retention was lowered [130]. 

Certain drugs (i.e. glucocorticoids) can be administered directly into a joint space for the treatment of local condition i.e. rheumatoid arthritis. 

It is a highly, selective glucocorticoid used in asthma, allergic disorders, rheumatoid arthritis and dermatoses. 

It is a selective and very potent long acting glucocorticoid. It causes suppression of pituitary adrenal axis. Used in shock due to trauma, allergic emergencies, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, nephrotic syndrome and suppression of inflammation in eye and skin disorders. 

Another important group of agents is characterized as disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). They decrease inflammation, usually improve symptoms, and slow the bone damage associated with rheumatoid arthritis. They are thought to affect more basic inflammatory mechanisms than do glucocorticoids or the NSAIDs. They may also be more toxic than those alternative medications. 

Kavanaugh A (2007) Current treatments for rheumatoid arthritis. Am J Orthop 236(3) 4-7 Kirwan JR (1995) The effect of glucocorticoids on joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis the Arthritis and Rheumatism Council Low-Dose Glucocorticoid Study Group. N Engl J Med 333(3) 142-146... 

Patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis taking long-term systemic glucocorticoids are at risk of accelerated cardiac rupture in the setting of transmural acute myocardial infarction treated with thrombolytic drugs (25). 

Long-term treatment with glucocorticoids can cause arteritis, but patients with rheumatoid arthritis have a special susceptibility to vascular reactions, and cases of periarteritis nodosa after withdrawal of long-term glucocorticoids have been reported (34). 

There have been reviews of the mechanisms and adverse effects of glucocorticoids in rheumatoid arthritis (205) and the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis in patients with pulmonary diseases (206). Several mechanisms underlie the effect of glucocorticoids on bone, both biochemical and cellular. Effects on calcium are ... 

The effects of risedronate on bone density and vertebral fracture have been studied in 518 patients (mean age 59 years, 40% with rheumatoid arthritis, 56% men, 64% of the women postmenopausal) taking moderate to high doses of oral glucocorticoids (equivalent to prednisone... 

A 43-year-old woman developed cavitary lung tuberculosis after she received methotrexate and glucocorticoid pulse therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (321). 

---