Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is characterized by inflammation of arteries, primarily in the head. This may lead to swelling and headaches, or, as it progresses, vision loss, strokes and aortic aneurysms. For the last 40 years, physicians have been able to treat and reverse some symptoms of GCA by prescribing prednisone, to be taken daily over a year or more. But oral steroid such prednisone can lead to some side effects such as hypertension, diabetes and osteoporosis, if used over a long period of time.
In order to provide practical treatment for GCA patients, researchers from Emory University and the Mayo Clinic have discovered that newly diagnosed GCA patients can be treated with just three days of a high-dose intravenous steroid.
From Bio-Medicine:
A new study offers both hope and a practical treatment option for patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA). Researchers from Emory University and the Mayo Clinic have found that by treating newly diagnosed GCA patients with just three days of a high-dose intravenous steroid, patients relapsed less in the following year and were able to significantly taper off usage of an oral steroid.
“We learned that the doses of steroids, although already high, really didn’t take away the disease,” says Dr. Weyand. “But if we increased the dose to very high levels, we could then eradicate the inflammation.”
Those patients who had been given the initial high dosage had fewer relapses of the disease (21, as compared to 37 relapses). Seventy-one percent were also able to reduce their daily dose of prednisone to 5 milligrams after a year of treatment (compared to only 15 percent in the control group), avoiding the need for long-term steroids.
In conclusion, the researchers said that high dose of intravenous steroid can help GCA patients avoid prolonged use of oral steroids such as prednisone.
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