Forty-one patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) maintained on low dose prednisolone (mean 5.8 mg) participated in a double-blind cross-over study to determine the effect of timing (morning or night) of prednisolone dosage on morning stiffness. Prednisolone given at night resulted in a significantly shorter duration of morning stiffness (p = 0.0001) than did an equivalent dose given in the mor...

In a prospective study of 74 patients and a retrospective study of 35 patients with polymyalgia rheumatica/giant cell arteritis steroid related side effects occurred in at least one third of patients, and in two thirds if weight gain was included. Side effects were significantly related to an initial prednisolone dose of more than 30 mg and to the cumulative prednisolone dose. Patients taking a...

AIM Glucocorticoids impair glucose tolerance by inducing insulin resistance. We investigated the dose-dependent effects of glucocorticoid treatment on islet-cell function in healthy males and studied the role of the autonomic nervous system. DESIGN AND METHODS A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, dose-response intervention study was conducted in 32 healthy males (age: 21±2years; BM...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether addition of low dose prednisolone to multidrug treatment can prevent reaction and nerve function impairment in leprosy. DESIGN Multicentre, double blind, randomised, placebo controlled, parallel group trial. SETTING Six centres in Bangladesh and Nepal. PARTICIPANTS 636 people with newly diagnosed multibacillary leprosy. INTERVENTION Prednisolone 20 mg/day ...

This study evaluated the effects of azathioprine in combination with low-dose prednisolone in the management of patients with intractable autoimmune hepatitis. Thirteen patients with intractable autoimmune hepatitis who had an incomplete or arrested response to conventional prednisolone therapy, or who relapsed during prednisolone maintenance therapy were additionally administered 50 or 100 mg/...

In a randomised, controlled study alternate day prednisolone with an initial high dose phase ("prednisolone only series") has been compared with cyclophosphamide plus alternate day low dose prednisolone ("cyclophosphamide-prednisolone series") in 43 patients with previously untreated fibrosing alveolitis (five patients had received prednisolone in minimal dosage). In the prednisolone only serie...

a 56-year-old woman came in with abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, 15 kg weight loss and accelerated asthma for which she had used zafirlukast and a high dose of prednisolone. during taper down of her prednisolone, her condition deteriorated. she developed generalized wheezing, diffuse abdominal pain, and left foot drop. lab examination revealed eosinophilia, elevated red cell sedimentat...

OBJECTIVES To study benefits and skeletal side effects of carefully monitored prednisolone treatment in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS One hundred and two patients with active rheumatoid arthritis were randomly allocated to treatment with disease modifying anti-inflammatory drug (DMARD) alone or DMARD and prednisolone in a one year follow up study. Prednisolone was given i...

OBJECTIVE The metabolic effects of low-dose prednisolone and optimal management of glucocorticoid-induced diabetes are poorly characterized. The aims were to investigate the acute effects of low-dose prednisolone on carbohydrate metabolism and whether long-term low-dose prednisolone administration increases visceral adiposity, amplifying metabolic perturbations. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Su...

Eight patients with rheumatoid arthritis received an intra-articular injection of either 50 mg or 100 mg of prednisolone acetate into the knee joint. After the injection plasma levels of prednisolone were measured by radioimmunoassay and plasma cortisol levels were estimated fluorimetrically. Peak prednisolone levels were reached at between 2 and 4 hours after the intra-articular injection at b...