Quiz: Best Practices for Corticosteroid Use in Active Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Glucocorticoids are the most frequently used class of drugs for rheumatoid arthritis because they are effective at relieving symptoms, and widely available at low cost. While this drug class has clear benefits for rheumatoid arthritis, it comes at a price in terms of a wide array of potential side-effects. Test your knowledge on the use of corticosteroids in rheumatoid arthritis with this quiz.

Glucocorticoids are the most frequently used class of drugs for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) because they are effective at relieving symptoms, and widely available at low cost. While this drug class has clear benefits for rheumatoid arthritis, it comes at a price in terms of a wide array of potential side-effects. Test your knowledge on the use of corticosteroids in rheumatoid arthritis with this quiz.

1) Which of the following statements align with the 2015 American College of Rheumatology guidelines regarding the use of corticosteroids in patients with rheumatoid arthritis?

a) For the treatment of early rheumatoid consider add low-dose glucocorticoids (≤10 mg/day of prednisone or equivalent) in patients with moderate or high disease activity when starting disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) or where DMARD or biologics have failed to control disease activity.

b) Short courses of low dose corticosteroids (≤10 mg/day of prednisone or equivalent) may be used first line in patients with early RA with only mild symptoms.

c) Consider using short-term glucocorticoids (up to 3 months) for disease flares.

d) For patients with advanced disease higher doses of corticosteroids may be needed to control flares

e) The risk/beneï¬t ratio of glucocorticoid therapy is unfavorable for most patients with rheumatoid arthritis

f) Glucocorticoids should be used at the lowest possible dose and for the shortest possible duration

g) The target should ideally be low disease activity or remission.