REVIEW PAPER
Glucocorticoid management in rheumatoid arthritis: morning or night low dose?
More details
Hide details
Online publication date: 2017-08-31
Reumatologia 2017;55(4):189-197
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Morning symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are linked to circadian increase of night inflammation, supported by inadequate cortisol secretion in active disease. Therefore, exogenous glucocorticoid administration in RA is recommended by EULAR and ACR from the beginning of the diagnosis, since may partially act like a “replacement therapy”. In addition, the prevention/treatment of the night up-regulation of the immune/inflammatory reaction has been shown more effective when exogenous glucocorticoid administration is managed with a night-time-release formulation.
Despite a considerably higher cost than conventional prednisone (immediate release), chronotherapy with night-time-release prednisone has been recognized a cost-effective option for RA patients not on glucocorticoids who are eligible for therapy with biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Interestingly, since different cell populations involved in the inflammatory process are particularly activated during the night (i.e. monocytes, macrophages), other therapeutical approaches used in RA, such as conventional DMARDs and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) should follow the same concepts of glucocorticoid chronotherapy. Therefore, bedtime methotrexate chronotherapy was found to better manage RA symptoms, and several available NSAIDs (i.e. indomethacin, aceclofenac, ketoprofen, flurbiprofen, lornoxicam) have been recently modified in their formulation, in order to obtain more focused night action.
REFERENCES (58)
1.
Cutolo M, Villaggio B, Otsa K, et al. Altered circadian rhythms in rheumatoid arthritis patients play a role in the disease’s symptoms. Autoimmun Rev 2005; 4: 497-502.
2.
Straub RH, Cutolo M. Circadian rhythms in rheumatoid arthritis: implications for pathophysiology and therapeutic management. Arthritis Rheum 2007; 56: 399-408.
3.
Spies CM, Cutolo M, Straub RH, et al. More night than day – circadian rhythms in polymyalgia rheumatica and ankylosing spondylitis. J Rheumatol 2010; 37: 894-899.
4.
Straub RH, Bijlsma JW, Masi A, et al. Role of neuroendocrine and neuroimmune mechanisms in chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases – the 10-year update. Semin Arthritis Rheum 2013; 43: 392-404.
5.
Cutolo M, Seriolo B, Craviotto C, et al. Circadian rhythms in RA. Ann Rheum Dis 2003; 62: 593-596.
6.
Buttgereit F, Smolen JS, Coogan AN, et al. Clocking in: chronobiology in rheumatoid arthritis. Nat Rev Rheumatol 2015; 11: 349-356.
7.
Cutolo M. Rheumatoid arthritis: circadian and circannual rhythms in RA. Nat Rev Rheumatol 2011; 7: 500-502.
8.
Bijlsma JW, Cutolo M, Masi AT, et al. The neuroendocrine immune basis of rheumatic diseases. Immunol Today 1999; 20: 298-301.
9.
Gibbs JE, Ray DW. The role of the circadian clock in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Res Ther 2013; 15: 205.
10.
Albrecht U. Timing to perfection: the biology of central and peripheral circadian clocks. Neuron 2012, 74: 246-260.
11.
Coogan AN, Wyse CA. Neuroimmunology of the circadian clock. Brain Res 2008; 1232: 104-112.
12.
Wang XS, Armstrong ME, Cairns BJ, et al. Shift work and chronic disease: the epidemiological evidence. Occup Med (Lond) 2011; 61: 78-89.
13.
Puttonen S, Oksanen T, Vahtera J, et al. Is shift work a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis? The Finnish Public Sector study. Ann Rheum Dis 2010; 69: 779-780.
14.
Sulli A, Maestroni GJ, Villaggio B, et al. Melatonin serum levels in rheumatoid arthritis. Ann NY Acad Sci 2002; 966: 276-283.
15.
Cutolo M, Straub RH, Buttgereit F. Circadian rhythms of nocturnal hormones in rheumatoid arthritis: translation from bench to bedside. Ann Rheum Dis 2008; 67: 905-908.
16.
Kanczkowski W, Sue M, Zacharowski K, et al. The role of adrenal gland microenvironment in the HPA axis function and dysfunction during sepsis. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2015; 408: 241-248.
17.
Annetta M, Maviglia R, Proietti R, et al. Use of corticosteroids in critically ill septic patients: a review of mechanisms of adrenal insufficiency in sepsis and treatment. Curr Drug Targets 2009; 10: 887-894.
18.
Crofford LJ, Kalogeras KT, Mastorakos G, et al. Circadian relationships between interleukin (IL)-6 and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis hormones: failure of IL-6 to cause sustained hypercortisolism in patients with early untreated rheumatoid arthritis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1997; 82: 1279-1283.
19.
Schmidt M, Weidler C, Naumann H, et al. Reduced capacity for the reactivation of glucocorticoids in rheumatoid arthritis synovial cells: Possible role of the sympathetic nervous system? Arthritis Rheum 2005; 52: 1711-1120.
20.
Cutolo M, Foppiani L, Minuto F. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis impairment in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis and polymyalgia rheumatica. J Endocrinol Invest 2002; 25: 19-23.
21.
Sulli A, Maestroni GJM, Villaggio B, et al. Melatonin serum levels in rheumatoid arthritis. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2002; 966: 276-278.
22.
Maestroni GJM, Sulli A, Villaggio B, et al. Melatonin in rheumatoid arthritis: synovial macrophages show melatonin receptors. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2002; 966: 271-275.
23.
Cutolo M, Villaggio B, Candido F, et al. Melatonin influences interleukin-12 and nitric oxide production by primary cultures of rheumatoid synovial macrophages and THP-1 cells. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1999; 876: 246-254.
24.
Maestroni GJ, Otsa K, Cutolo M. Melatonin treatment does not improve rheumatoid arthritis. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2008; 65: 797-798.
25.
Buttgereit F, Burmester GR, Straub RH, et al. Exogenous and endogenous glucocorticoids in rheumatic diseases. Arthritis Rheum 2011; 63: 1-9.
26.
Gorter SL, Bijlsma JW, Cutolo M, et al. Current evidence for the management of rheumatoid arthritis with glucocorticoids: a systematic literature review informing the EULAR recommendations for the management of rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis 2010; 69: 1010-1014.
27.
Pincus T, Sokka T, Cutolo M. The past versus the present, 1980–2004: reduction of mean initial low-dose, long-term glucocorticoid therapy in rheumatoid arthritis from 10.3 to 3.6 mg/day, concomitant with early methotrexate, with long-term effectiveness and safety of less than 5 mg/day. Neuroimmunomodulation 2015; 22: 89-103.
28.
Smolen JS, Landewé R, Bijlsma J, et al. EULAR recommendations for the management of rheumatoid arthritis with synthetic and biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs: 2016 update. Ann Rheum Dis 2017; 76: 960-977.
29.
Singh JA, Saag KG, Bridges SL Jr, et al. 2015 American College of Rheumatology Guideline for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis Rheum 2016; 68: 1-26.
30.
Spies CM, Cutolo M, Straub RH et al. Prednisone chronotherapy. Clin Exp Rheumatol 2011; 29 (5 Suppl 68): S42-536.
31.
Cutolo M, Otsa K, Aakre O, et al. Nocturnal hormones and clinical rhythms in rheumatoid arthritis. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2005; 1051: 372-381.
32.
De Andrade JR, McCormick JN, Hill AG. Small doses of prednisolone in the management of rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis 1964; 23: 158-162.
33.
De Silva M, Binder A, Hazleman BL. The timing of prednisolone dosage and its effect on morning stiffness in rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis 1984; 43: 790-793.
34.
Arvidson NG, Gudbjörnsson B, Larsson A, et al. The timing of glucocorticoid administration in rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis 1997; 56: 27-31.
35.
Buttgereit F, Doering G, Shaeffler A, et al. Efficacy of modified-release versus standard prednisone to reduce duration of morning stiffness of the joints in rheumatoid arthritis (CAPRA-1): a double-blind, randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2008; 371: 205-214.
36.
Buttgereit F, Doering G, Schaeffler A, et al. Targeting pathophysiological rhythms: prednisone chronotherapy shows sustained efficacy in rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis 2010; 69: 1275-1280.
37.
Alten R, Grahn A, Holt RJ, et al. Delayed-release prednisone improves fatigue and health-related quality of life: findings from the CAPRA-2 double-blind randomised study in rheumatoid arthritis. RMD Open 2015; 1: e000134.
38.
Cutolo M, Sulli A, Pincus T. Circadian use of glucocorticoids in rheumatoid arthritis. Neuroimmunomodulation 2015; 22: 33-39.
39.
Derendorf H, Ruebsamen K, Clarke L, et al. Pharmacokinetics of modified-releaseprednisone tablets in healthy subjects and patients with rheumatoid arthritis. J Clin Pharmacol 2013; 53: 326-333.
40.
Alten R, Döring G, Cutolo M, et al. Hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with nighttime-release prednisone. J Rheumatol 2010; 37: 2025-2031.
41.
Pfeiffer BM, Krenzer S, Dockhorn R, et al. Impact of modified-release prednisone on functional ability in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatol Int 2013; 33: 1447-1454.
42.
Cutolo M, Iaccarino L, Doria A, et al. Efficacy of the switch to modified-release prednisone in rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with standard glucocorticoids. Clin Exp Rheumatol 2013; 31: 498-505.
43.
Cutolo M, Hopp M, Liebscher S, et al. Efficacy and safety of modified release prednisone (Lodotra®) in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica: results of a multicenter, randomized, active-controlled phase 3 Study. Arthritis Rheum 2015; 67: S10-3145.
44.
Dunlop W, Iqbal I, Khan I, et al. Cost-effectiveness of modified-release prednisone in the treatment of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis with morning stiffness based on directly elicited public preference values. Clinicoecon Outcomes Res 2013; 5: 555-564.
45.
Boers M, Buttgereit F. A simple model that suggests possible cost savings when modified-releaseprednisone 5 mg/day is added to current treatment in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2013; 52: 1435-1437.
46.
Spies CM, Hoff P, Mazuch J. Circadian rhythms of cellular immunity in rheumatoid arthritis: a hypothesis-generating study. Clin Exp Rheumatol 2015; 33: 34-43.
47.
To H, Irie S, Tomonari M, et al. Therapeutic index of methotrexate depends on circadian cycling of tumour necrosis factor-alpha in collagen-induced arthritic rats and mice. J Pharm Pharmacol 2009; 61: 1333-1338.
48.
To H, Yoshimatsu H, Tomonari M, et al. Methotrexate chronotherapy is effective against rheumatoid arthritis. Chronobiol Int 2011; 28: 267-274.
49.
Bureau JP, Labrecque G. Biological rhythm, inflammation and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents. Pathol Biol (Paris) 1996; 44: 610-617.
50.
Kowanko IC, Pownall R, Knapp MS, et al. Circadian variations in the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and in the therapeutic effectiveness of flurbiprofen at different times of day. Br J Clin Pharmacol 1981; 11: 477-484.
51.
Levi F, Le Louarn C, Reinberg A. Timing optimizes sustained-release indomethacin treatment of osteoarthritis. Clin Pharmacol Ther 1985; 37: 77-84.
52.
Lotlikar V, Kedar U, Shidhaye S, et al. pH-responsive dual pulse multiparticulate dosage form for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Drug Dev Ind Pharm 2010; 36: 1295-1302.
53.
Sunil SA, Srikanth MV, Rao NS, et al. Chronotherapeutic drug delivery from indomethacin compression coated tablets for early morning pain associated rheumatoid arthritis. Curr Drug Deliv 2013; 10: 109-121.
54.
Ramasamy T, Ruttala HB, Shanmugam S, et al. Eudragit-coated aceclofenac-loaded pectin microspheres in chronopharmacological treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Drug Deliv 2013; 20: 65-77.
55.
Sanka K, Pragada RR, Veerareddy PR. A pH-triggered delayed-release chronotherapeutic drug delivery system of aceclofenac for effective management of early morning symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. J Microencapsul 2015; 32: 794.
56.
Hadi MA, Rao NG, Rao AS. Formulation and evaluation of mini-tablets-filled-pulsincap delivery of lornoxicam in the chronotherapeutic treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Pak J Pharm Sci 2015; 28: 185-193.
57.
Masi AT, Bijlsma JW, Chikanza IC, et al. Neuroendocrine, immunologic, and microvascular systems interactions in rheumatoid arthritis: physiopathogenetic and therapeutic perspectives. Semin Arthritis Rheum 1999; 29: 65-81.
58.
Straub RH, Glück T, Cutolo M, et al. The adrenal steroid status in relation to inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor) in polymyalgia rheumatica. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2000; 39 (6): 624-631.
Copyright: © Narodowy Instytut Geriatrii, Reumatologii i Rehabilitacji w Warszawie. This is an Open Access journal, all articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) License (
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/), allowing third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and to remix, transform, and build upon the material, provided the original work is properly cited and states its license.