EDITORIAL Antiinflammatory Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Glucocorticoids, since their spectacular introduc-tion into clinical medicine in 1948 (1), remain a classi-cally efficient treatment for arthritis and other inflam-matory conditions (2). Indeed, the discoverers of this therapy were awarded an immediate Nobel Prize. Since then, glucocorticoids have remained a cornerstone in the treatment of chronic inflammation, and despite the introduction of novel therapies such as tumor necrosis factor–blocking agents (3), we have lately witnessed the increased use of glucocorticoids in arthritis. Recent studies confirm the capacity of glucocorticoids both to diminish inflammation and to reduce the pace of joint destruction (4–8), particularly when these agents are used at high doses and in the early phases of arthritis (6–8)