Información del artículo
Los glucocorticoides (GC) son un elemento fundamental en el tratamiento de la artritis reumatoide (AR). A pesar de su uso generalizado, en la actualidad todavía persiste el debate sobre las ventajas y los inconvenientes de su uso a dosis bajas en pacientes con AR. En los últimos años se han realizado diversos ensayos clínicos que pretenden definir tanto el beneficio de los GC como fármacos modificadores de la enfermedad en AR como sus efectos secundarios a largo plazo. Los resultados de estos ensayos proporcionan evidencia sólida de que los GC a bajas dosis poseen un efecto modificador del daño estructural en AR de corta evolución y de que sus efectos secundarios, usados en dichas condiciones clínicas, se limitan al desarrollo de hiperglucemia, cataratas y aumento transitorio de peso.
Palabras clave:
Artritis reumatoide
Glucocorticoides
Fármacos modificadores de enfermedad
Glucocorticoids (GC) are a mainstay of the therapy in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Currently, and despite their extensive use, the discussion about the benefits and adverse effects of low dose GC in the management of RA persists. In recent years, a number of clinical trials have attempted to establish the benefits of long-term GC use as a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug in RA, and to define their side effects. Results of these clinical trials provide solid evidence that low-dose GC can inhibit radiographic damage in early RA, and that side effects of GC, when used in that clinical framework, are limited to hyperglycaemia, cataracts, and transient weight gain.
Key words:
Rheumatoid arthritis
Glucocorticosteroids
Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs
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