MONDAY, Oct. 18, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- Rheumatoid arthritis sufferers who take a commonly prescribed steroid known as prednisone run a significantly higher risk of catching pneumonia than people on biologic medications.
A report comparing the two medications was presented Oct. 17 at the American College of Rheumatology's annual meeting in San Antonio.
To compare the risks of biologic therapy with prednisone use, researchers in Kansas conducted a two-and-a-half-year study involving 15,966 long-term arthritis patients with an average age of 60.5 years.
Biologic drugs -- examples include adalimumab, etanercept, and infliximab -- copy the effects of substances naturally made by the body's immune system. While beneficial, they have been associated with increased rates of infection during clinical trials.
The study revealed that people using biologic drugs were 30 percent more likely to get pneumonia than people not taking anything. However, the risk of pneumonia was 170 percent greater in people taking prednisone.
"It's reassuring to know that the increased rate of pneumonia in people taking biologics is relatively low, some of which may be attributed to arthritis severity," researcher Dr. Frederick Wolfe of the National Data Bank for Rheumatic Diseases said in a prepared statement. "The risk associated with prednisone use, however, is substantial and suggests that, rather than being considered a relatively benign therapy, prednisone is likely a larger part of the risk associated with pneumonia."
Between 35 percent and 45 percent of patients with rheumatoid arthritis currently use prednisone, but more than 70 percent of patients will take the steroid at least once during their lifetime.
More information
The National Library of Medicine has more about prednisone.
