PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Ingiäld Hafström
AU  - Morteza Rohani
AU  - Stefan Deneberg
AU  - Margareta Wörnert
AU  - Tomas Jogestrand
AU  - Johan Frostegård
TI  - Effects of low-dose prednisolone on endothelial function, atherosclerosis, and traditional risk factors for atherosclerosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis--a randomized study.
DP  - 2007 Sep 01
TA  - The Journal of Rheumatology
PG  - 1810--1816
VI  - 34
IP  - 9
4099  - http://www.jrheum.org/content/34/9/1810.short
4100  - http://www.jrheum.org/content/34/9/1810.full
SO  - J Rheumatol2007 Sep 01; 34
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the influence of low-dose prednisolone on atherosclerosis, endothelial function, and risk factors for atherosclerosis in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: At start of the first disease modifying antirheumatic drug, 67 patients with early, active RA were randomized to either 7.5 mg prednisolone daily (n = 34) or no prednisolone (n = 33). In the prednisolone group, 21 were treated for 2 years and 13 continuously. After a mean of 5 years intima-media thickness (IMT) and calculated intima-media area (cIMa) of the carotid arteries were determined by B-mode ultrasound. Endothelial function was determined by flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery. RESULTS: IMT [median (interquartile range) 0.675 mm (0.58-0.82) vs 0.673 mm (0.0.62-0.80)], cIMa [13.7 mm2 (11.45-20.37) vs 14.1 mm2 (12.34-17.38)], prevalence of atherosclerotic plaques (82.3% vs 81.9%), and endothelial function [FMD% (mean +/- SD) 3.88% +/- 2.8 vs 3.74% +/- 2.9] did not differ between patients treated with and those not treated with prednisolone. There were no differences in lumen diameter of carotid arteries, or levels of lipoproteins, glucose, and blood pressure. Patients treated for at least 4 years (and currently treated) with prednisolone had a trend to higher systolic blood pressure (157 +/- 29 mm Hg) compared with untreated patients (141 +/- 28 mm Hg; p = 0.06) and had higher cholesterol levels (5.6 mmol/L +/- 1.39 vs 4.9 +/- 28; p = 0.03). In the whole cohort, age and HDL were independently associated with IMT; age, HDL, and blood pressure with cIMa; and age and serum creatinine with presence of atherosclerotic plaques. CONCLUSION: Low-dose prednisolone did not influence endothelial function and atherosclerosis in patients with RA. However, total cholesterol was higher in patients treated with prednisolone.