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Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

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  • Title: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of low-dose oral prednisolone for treating painful hand osteoarthritis.
    Author: Wenham CY, Hensor EM, Grainger AJ, Hodgson R, Balamoody S, Doré CJ, Emery P, Conaghan PG.
    Journal: Rheumatology (Oxford); 2012 Dec; 51(12):2286-94. PubMed ID: 22956551.
    Abstract:
    OBJECTIVE: Anti-inflammatory therapies are effective analgesics for OA. This study determined whether low-dose oral prednisolone (PNL) was an effective analgesic for hand OA. METHODS: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of people with ACR criteria hand OA and baseline hand pain visual analogue scale (VAS) of >40/100 mm. Participants received 5 mg PNL or placebo daily for 4 weeks. Pain VAS, disease activity VAS, Australian/Canadian Hand Osteoarthritis Index and joint counts were performed at baseline, 4 and 12 weeks. Primary outcome was the change in hand pain VAS at 4 weeks. Analysis of covariance was used for analysis, controlling for baseline values. To explore potential mechanism of action of PNL, non-contrast 0.2 Tesla MRI was performed on the most painful hand at baseline and 4 weeks. RESULTS: A total of 70 participants were recruited (57 women, mean age 61 years, mean baseline pain VAS 61.5 mm); 75% had more than one joint with definite MRI synovitis/effusion. At 4 weeks the adjusted mean reduction in pain VAS was 19.9 mm (PNL group) and 16.8 mm (placebo group) (P = 0.54). There were no statistically significant differences in VAS, Australian/Canadian Hand Osteoarthritis Index or joint counts between placebo and PNL groups at 4 or 12 weeks. A total of 20 participants in each group achieved an Outcome Measures in Rheumatology-Osteoarthritis Research Society International response. Baseline synovitis/effusion did not predict response to treatment. CONCLUSION: This is the first randomized controlled trial of low-dose corticosteroid alone for painful hand OA, which demonstrated that short-term low-dose oral PNL is not an effective analgesic treatment for hand OA. TRIAL REGISTRATION: International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number Register, www.isrctn.org, Trial number 99697616.
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