Prednisolone in Active Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS)
![]() |
The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details. |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00244166 |
Recruitment Status : Unknown
Verified September 2006 by Charite University, Berlin, Germany.
Recruitment status was: Recruiting
First Posted : October 26, 2005
Last Update Posted : September 11, 2006
|
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
- to investigate whether steroids are effective in ankylosing spondylitis
- if steroids are effective to describe how quick they work
Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
---|---|---|
Ankylosing Spondylitis | Drug: prednisolone | Phase 2 Phase 3 |
Treatment of inflammatory rheumatic conditions with glucocorticosteroids is a mainstay in therapy. In rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematodes and polymyalgia rheumatica glucocorticosteroids show a prompt effect in regards of musculoskeletal symptoms.
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an inflammatory rheumatic disease mainly affecting the spine. However peripheral joints, entheses and the eyes can also be affected. The rheumatic symptoms of AS patients typically show good and quick response to treatment with nonsteroidal antirheumatic drugs (NSAIDs). In contrast to rheumatoid arthritis there is no proof that disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) work. Surprisingly there is the common opinion, mainly based on personal experiences, that glucocorticosteroids in spondylarthropathies do not work. However there are no reliable clinical studies answering this question. In the literature of the last 20 years there are only single reports about the treatment of AS with highly dosed methylprednisolone (intravenous pulse therapy). The pretended lack of effectiveness of glucocorticosteroids surprises moreover as NSAIDs are very effective as well as local intraarticular steroid injections including the sacroiliac joints. In addition with magnetic resonance imaging acute inflammatory lesions can be visualized especially as subchondral edema in bone marrow. Besides about 70% of patients with active AS show elevated inflammatory serum markers such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP). Moreover we could recently that a treatment of AS patients with the monoclonal antibody against TNFa (Infliximab) is highly effective. TNFa is a very important pro-inflammatory cytokine (Brandt et al 2000).
For all these reasons it is very important and urgent to perform a study for the treatment of active AS with glucocorticosteroids using evaluated measuring instruments.
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Enrollment : | 75 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | Double |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | Threecenter Placebo Controlled Three Arm Trial in Patients With Active Ankylosing Spondylitis With Prednisolone |
Study Start Date : | May 2002 |
Study Completion Date : | August 2008 |

- 50% improvement of BASDAI after 14 days of treatment
- Improvement of pain on a VAS 0 - 10
- Decrease of CRP/ BSG
- Number of swollen/tender joints
- number of enthesitic localisations
- improvement of function (BASFI)
- improvement of quality of life (SF12)

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years to 70 Years (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- ankylosing spondylitis according to the modified NY criteria 1984
- age between 18 and 70 years
- insufficient response to therapy with NSAIDs
- BASDAI > 4
- Previous therapy with DMARDs (such as sulfasalazine, methotrexate etc.) or steroids less than or equal to 7,5mg is allowed, should be discontinued or stable 4 weeks before study start
- written informed consent
Exclusion Criteria:
- Pregnancy or lactation
- current severe infection or during the last 3 months
- suspected opportunistic infection during the past 2 months (such as Herpes zoster, cytomegaly-, Pneumocystis carinii-infection), HIV-infection
- Malignancies
- severe cardial, renal, hematological, endocrinological, pulmonal, gastrointestinal (such as peptic ulcers) neurological, hepatic (viral or toxic hepatitis) concomitant disease, uncontrolled arterial hypertension remitting thrombosis, embolism
- Diabetes mellitus or increased blood glucose test
- uncontrolled glaucoma
- active immunization during the past 2 weeks or planned for the next 8 weeks
- pathologic laboratory test results: creatinine >200 µmol/l, liver enzymes > 2,5 fold, AP >2,5 fold upper normal ranges
- significant pathological changes during physical examination
- clinical trial participation during the past 30 days before screening
- intake of "hard drugs" (such as cocaine, heroin)
- therapy with more than 7,5 mg prednisolone, intraarticular steroids during the past 4 weeks before study start
- current application for retirement

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00244166
Contact: Joachim Sieper, Prof. | 0049 30 8445 ext 4414 | joachim.sieper@charite.de | |
Contact: Hildrun Haibel, MD | 0049 30 8445 ext 4414 | hildrun.haibel@charite.de |
Germany | |
Charité Campus Benjamin-Franklin Rheumatolgy | Recruiting |
Berlin, Germany, 12200 | |
Contact: Joachim Sieper, Prof. 0049 30 8445 ext 4414 joachim.sieper@charite.de | |
Contact: Hildrun Haibel, MD 0049 30 8445 ext 4414 hildrun.haibel@charite.de | |
Principal Investigator: Joachim Sieper, Prof. | |
Sub-Investigator: Hildrun Haibel, MD | |
Sub-Investigator: Henning C Brandt, MD | |
Sub-Investigator: In-Ho Song, MD | |
Immanuel Hospital Rheumatology | Recruiting |
Berlin, Germany, 14109 | |
Contact: Andreas Krause, Prof. 0049 30 80505 ext 293 a.krause@immanuel.de | |
Principal Investigator: Andreas Krause, Prof. | |
Rheumazentrum Ruhrgebiet | Recruiting |
Herne, Germany, 44652 | |
Contact: Juergen Braun, Prof. 0049 2325592 ext 131 j.braun@rheumazentrum-ruhrgebiet.de | |
Contact: Xenofon Baraliakos, MD 0049 2325592 ext 131 xenob@onlinehome.de | |
Principal Investigator: Juergen Braun, Prof. | |
Sub-Investigator: Xenofon Baraliakos, MD |
Principal Investigator: | Joachim Sieper, Prof. | Charité Campus Benjamin-Franklin Rheumatology |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT00244166 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
P-01 |
First Posted: | October 26, 2005 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | September 11, 2006 |
Last Verified: | September 2006 |
treatment ankylosing spondylitis prednisolone trial steroid |
Spondylitis Spondylitis, Ankylosing Bone Diseases, Infectious Infection Bone Diseases Musculoskeletal Diseases Spinal Diseases Spondylarthropathies Spondylarthritis Ankylosis |
Joint Diseases Arthritis Prednisolone Anti-Inflammatory Agents Glucocorticoids Hormones Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists Physiological Effects of Drugs Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal Antineoplastic Agents |