Značaj prilagođavanja doze glukokortikoida u reumatoidnom artritisu

Abstract

For almost seven decades, glucocorticoids have been used to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis. To this day, they remain an important part of the therapeutic approach in the treatment of those patients. Although their use is widespread due to well-known efficiency, their side effects are numerous. Therefore, there is no consensus on the dosage, the route of administration and the exact length of administration. According to modern international recommendations for the treatment of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis, the use of glucocorticoids is justified in the initial phase with conventionally synthetic drugs that change the course of the disease or in the period of overcoming their change, and in the lowest possible dose. In everyday clinical practice, it is suggested to determine the dose and duration of use based on the benefit/harm ratio for each patient before introducing glucocorticoids into therapy.