CORTICOSTEROID PRESCRIBING IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS—THE FICTION AND THE FACT

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Abstract
The results of a postal questionnaire to consultant rheumatologists (80% response rate) suggest that most comply with current teaching regarding the indications for systemic corticosteroids in articular rheumatoid arthritis (RA) They are prescribed as a last resort and most frequently in the elderly. However, a review of 100 consecutive RA out-patients revealed 24 patients currently taking corticosteroids at a mean prednisolone dosage of 5.6 mg daily. Only two had been prescribed these drugs for extra-articular problems. In 11 cases the treatment was not initiated by a rheumatologist. The discrepancies between the two surveys are discussed.