Rheumatoid arthritis: glucocorticoids are associated with nearly double infection risk post-surgery

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who are taking a glucocorticoid, in dosages above 10 mg per day, have almost double the risk of developing an infection after joint replacement surgery compared with those who do not take a steroid, a study has found.1

Researchers from the US set out to compare the risk for postoperative infection among patients taking biologic drugs and those on glucocorticoids and reported their findings in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Biologic disease modifying antirheumatic drugs are increasingly used in the treatment of RA …