Prednisolone in Active Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS)

Ankylosing Spondylitis Clinical Trial

Official title: Threecenter Placebo Controlled Three Arm Trial in Patients With Active Ankylosing Spondylitis With Prednisolone

Status Recruiting

Clinical Trial Summary

1. to investigate whether steroids are effective in ankylosing spondylitis

2. if steroids are effective to describe how quick they work

Clinical Trial Description

Treatment of inflammatory rheumatic conditions with glucocorticosteroids is a mainstay in therapy. In rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematodes and polymyalgia rheumatica glucocorticosteroids show a prompt effect in regards of musculoskeletal symptoms.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an inflammatory rheumatic disease mainly affecting the spine. However peripheral joints, entheses and the eyes can also be affected. The rheumatic symptoms of AS patients typically show good and quick response to treatment with nonsteroidal antirheumatic drugs (NSAIDs). In contrast to rheumatoid arthritis there is no proof that disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) work. Surprisingly there is the common opinion, mainly based on personal experiences, that glucocorticosteroids in spondylarthropathies do not work. However there are no reliable clinical studies answering this question. In the literature of the last 20 years there are only single reports about the treatment of AS with highly dosed methylprednisolone (intravenous pulse therapy). The pretended lack of effectiveness of glucocorticosteroids surprises moreover as NSAIDs are very effective as well as local intraarticular steroid injections including the sacroiliac joints. In addition with magnetic resonance imaging acute inflammatory lesions can be visualized especially as subchondral edema in bone marrow. Besides about 70% of patients with active AS show elevated inflammatory serum markers such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP). Moreover we could recently that a treatment of AS patients with the monoclonal antibody against TNFa (Infliximab) is highly effective. TNFa is a very important pro-inflammatory cytokine (Brandt et al 2000).

For all these reasons it is very important and urgent to perform a study for the treatment of active AS with glucocorticosteroids using evaluated measuring instruments. ;

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Safety/Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Double-Blind, Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Ankylosing Spondylitis
• Spondylitis
• Spondylitis, Ankylosing

• NCT number: NCT00244166
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Charite University, Berlin, Germany
• Contact: Joachim Sieper, Prof.
• Phone: 0049 30 8445
• Email: joachim.sieper@charite.de
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: Phase 2/Phase 3
• Start date: May 2002
• Completion date: August 2008