Toward safer treatment with glucocorticoids: via patient and rheumatologist perspectives to recommendations on monitoring for adverse events

Glucocorticoids (GCs) play an important role in the treatment of rheumatic diseases, but adverse events (AEs) are common, particularly at high doses. By identifying perspectives of patients and rheumatologists on GC therapy reasons for concerns about GC therapy and resistance to this treatment were evaluated. Both patients and rheumatologists expressed concerns about AEs like osteoporosis, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. These concerns and the fact that many GC-related AEs are - at least in part - preventable or treatable, underline the importance of identification of AEs.

The EULAR Task Force on Glucocorticoids developed recommendations for monitoring of AEs during low-dose GC therapy in daily practice and clinical trials, which were based on literature, perspectives of patients and rheumatologists and issues such as clinical relevance. Safe treatment with low-dose GCs in daily practice can be enhanced with use of a limited set of recommendations. In clinical trials, monitoring of a more comprehensive set of AEs is recommended, because this will also contribute to the identification of the relevant AE-profile of GC therapy.