Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Jul:165:112-125.
doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2019.04.009. Epub 2019 Apr 10.

Risks and benefits of corticosteroids in arthritic diseases in the clinic

Ioanna Petta  1 , Isabelle Peene  2 , Dirk Elewaut  1 , Lars Vereecke  1 , Karolien De Bosscher  3
Affiliations
Review

Risks and benefits of corticosteroids in arthritic diseases in the clinic

Ioanna Petta et al. Biochem Pharmacol. 2019 Jul.

Abstract

Glucocorticoids (GCs) constitute a first line treatment for many autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Due to their potent anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive actions, GCs are added frequently to disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in various arthritic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis. However, their prolonged administration or administration at high doses is associated with adverse effects that may be (quality of) life-threatening, including osteoporosis, metabolic, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular side effects. In this review, we summarize the clinical and pharmacological effects of GCs in different arthritic diseases, while documenting the current research efforts towards the identification of novel and more efficient GCs with reduced side effects.

Keywords: Corticosteroids; DMARDs; Lupus erythematosus; Rheumatoid arthritis; Side effects; Vasculitis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types

MeSH terms