Oral use of steroid anti-inflammatories in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: systematic review

• Grant number: 18/18947-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2019
• End date: May 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Epidemiology
• Principal Investigator: Cristiane de Cássia Bergamaschi
• Grantee: Rodrigo Suguimoto Iwami
• Host Institution: Pró-Reitoria de Pós-Graduação, Pesquisa, Extensão e Inovação. Universidade de Sorocaba (UNISO). Sorocaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Rheumatoid Arthritis affects 1% of the population, and results in destruction of the joint cartilage, pain and severe disability. Studies have previously reported in the literature that the use of anti-inflammatory drugs may be beneficial for the treatment, however, have also identified gaps concerning effectiveness and safety of these drugs to treat this disorder. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the oral use of anti-inflammatory steroids for the rheumatoid arthritis treatment. This is a systematic review of controlled and randomized clinical trials in adult patients assign to treatment with anti-inflammatory steroid drugs, in comparation to a placebo or another drug. Search for eligible studies will be done in database: CENTRAL; MEDLINE; EMBASE; CINAHL; Web of Science; Scopus; ClinicalTrial.gov e WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. The outcomes may include: pain, physical function, joint stiffness, edema, muscle strength, disease progression, quality of life, adverse effects and drawbacks for adverse effects or lack of effectiveness in treatment, treatment satisfaction and use of rescue medication. Two reviewers will evaluate the studies concerning its eligibility criteria; for eligible studies, the reviewers will extract data and evaluate the risk of bias. The results of this study may assist prescribers, health professionals and patients to make decisions concerning the treatment options that are more effective and safe. This study may also contribute to identify key-areas for future researches.