Revealing the Potential of Intravenous Pulse Steroid Therapy; Impressive Results in Attaining Remission or Low Disease Activity in Refractory Rheumatoid Arthritis

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to evaluate the effect of intravenous pulse steroid therapy on patients with active rheumatoid arthritis who have not responded well to other treatments. The study focuses on achieving remission or low disease activity, using measures such as the Disease Activity Score (DAS28), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 20, 50, and 70 scores. These assessments will help understand how well the treatment works for this condition. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group will receive 125 mg of methylprednisolone administered intravenously on two consecutive days, followed by a two-week course of oral steroids with gradual withdrawal. The other group will not receive any additional treatment. The study is conducted in a single-blind manner and will last for four months, with monthly evaluations. During the study, patients will be monitored monthly through clinical assessments to track disease activity and response to treatment. These evaluations include scoring systems that measure joint inflammation and patient symptoms. Researchers will closely observe remission or low disease activity as the primary outcome at four months. The study is sponsored by Sohag University and aims to provide detailed data on steroid pulse therapy in this patient group.

Pulse Steroid Injection in Refractory Rheumatoid Arthritis