Scandinavian journal of rheumatology
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Scand. J. Rheumatol. · Sep 2006
Randomized Controlled TrialA randomized, controlled study of a single intra-articular injection of etanercept or glucocorticosteroids in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Glucocorticosteroids are used successfully for both systemic and intra-articular treatment of arthritis. Inhibitors of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) are effective when administered systemically and this study was performed to compare the effect of intra-articular injection of these two substances. ⋯ Although no difference between groups was demonstrated, the within-group effect of methylprednisolone was more marked than that of etanercept. Injections with 25 mg etanercept were well tolerated. However, the cost of etanercept will presumably limit its use to patients with adverse reactions to steroid.