Diagnostic Value of Oral Prednisolone Test for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory joint disease often leading to progressive joint destruction. To prevent disability caused by inflamed joints early diagnosis is important. Early diagnosis might be a challenge because the diagnosis is mostly based on clinical signs like swelling of small joints. In clinical practice a therapy with prednisolone is started although the patients do not have an exact diagnosis. In this cases the prednisolone might serve as a diagnostic test for an inflammatory process. The objective of this study is to investigate the diagnostic value of oral prednisolone test for rheumatoid arthritis.