Changes in bone mineral density and fractures during 2 years of low-dose glucocorticoid treatment for rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic literature review and individual participant data meta-analysis
Andriko Palmowski, Tobias Haugegaard, Ingiäld Hafström, Henning Bliddal, Judith Oldenkott, Siegfried Wassenberg, Ernest Choy, John Kirwan, Robin Christensen, Maarten Boers, Frank Buttgereit · 2026
Read Changes in bone mineral density and fractures during 2 years of low-dose glucocorticoid treatment for rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic literature review and individual participant data meta-analysis by Andriko Palmowski, Tobias Haugegaard, Ingiäld Hafström, Henning Bliddal, Judith Oldenkott, Siegfried Wassenberg, Ernest Choy, John Kirwan, Robin Christensen, Maarten Boers, Frank Buttgereit (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13157747.txt.
Description
Andriko Palmowski and co-authors pool patient-level data from rheumatoid arthritis trials to price two years of low-dose steroids in bone, in a 2026 analysis. Five trials with 1,112 patients compared doses up to seven and a half milligrams of prednisone equivalent against standard care, with spine and hip density and fractures as the joint outcomes.
The steroid groups lost a small but real amount of spine bone density, while the hip held steady. Fractures were uncommon and equally frequent in both arms, and no subgroup stood out as especially fragile. Repeated checks kept the result. The authors conclude the bone cost of low-dose treatment is real but confined to the spine over two years.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Andriko Palmowski, Tobias Haugegaard, Ingiäld Hafström, Henning Bliddal, Judith Oldenkott, Siegfried Wassenberg, Ernest Choy, John Kirwan, Robin Christensen, Maarten Boers, Frank Buttgereit |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 36 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |