Steroid therapy and adrenal insufficiency in patients with RA v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Adrenal insufficiency in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with systemic glucocorticoid therapy: a study nested within the CPRD
IRAS ID
140362
Contact name
Lynne MacRae
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Manchester
Research summary
Steroid therapy is a good way to control pain and swelling and so is often used in inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. Whilst effective, steroids have a range of side effects. One known side effect is adrenal insufficiency (AI). This is where the body cannot make enough cortisol, which is a substance that helps the body cope with stress. Many things about the relationship between steroids and AI are unclear. For example, it is not known how often taking steroids leads to AI, what affects the chance of developing AI and what the impact of AI is for patients. The purpose of this research is to study the relationship between steroids and AI in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. A better understanding of this relationship may help doctors decide the safest way to prescribe steroids.
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis who have used steroids within 2 years of the study will be recruited through general practices. Participants will be able to complete the study tasks at their homes in a single morning. Those taking part will be asked to provide two saliva samples and fill in a diary about their recent steroid use. One sample will be used to measure cortisol levels and a genetic analysis will be performed on the other sample. The study will use data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) which is a database containing electronic medical records. The study has been funded as part of the NIHR Manchester Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit.
REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/1335
Date of REC Opinion
23 Jul 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion