Rapid, safe and persisting suppression of rheumatoid arthritis activity (RA) reduces the risk of destructive changes of the joints. Initial methylprednisolone (MP) treatment helps to implement task, optimal dosage is, however, a yet unresolved problem.
In an open clinical trial 20 women with active RA were treated by a series of five minipulses á 125 mg MP in daily intravenous infusions. Within 60 days from the first MP minipulse onwards the authors monitored the morning stiffness, pain according to a visual analogue scale, Ritchie's index and five laboratory indicators. A significant decline of values (p < 0.05 < 0.001) in all clinical and some laboratory signs revealed that the response to the administered treatment was prompt and sufficiently protracted to bridge the gap before the onset of the effect produced by parallel basal treatment.
The results provide evidence that treatment by a series of minipulses of MP can be considered the method of choice to suppress the acme of RA activity and to bridge the gap before the onset of response to basal treatment.