Preventing Steroid Harms in PMR
- Principal Investigator: Helen Twohig
- 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023
- Project No: 607
- Funding round: FR5
Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is an illness affecting older adults (usually over the age of 60), that causes pain and stiffness around the shoulders and hips. It can affect people’s ability to do everyday activities like dressing and walking. The main treatment is steroid tablets (prednisolone), which often need to be taken for around two years.
These can cause side-effects including increasing the chances of people breaking bones and having indigestion or bleeding from the gut. People with PMR have told us that understanding more about the side-effects of steroids and how to prevent them is an important topic for research. Some medicines given to treat pain in PMR also increase the chances of bone and gut problems. There are other medicines that can be given to reduce the chances of these side-effects happening (called “preventative medicines”, such as medicines called bisphosphonates that are given to reduce the chance of fractures), but research has found that low numbers of people receive these.
This study will find out:
- whether these preventative medicines are being given to people who should be offered them, and whether there are some groups of people who are less likely to receive them.
- the effect of these medicines on the chances of having side-effects (like fractures and gut problems).
- which medicines are given for pain in PMR and who receives these medicines.
- the effect of pain medicines on the chances of having fractures and serious gut side effects
- what the effect on the health of people with PMR as group would be if everyone was prescribed preventative medicines in the way guidelines suggest.
To do this we will analyse information that has been collected in people’s anonymous electronic medical records.
Our idea for this study has been influenced by work with patients with PMR and we have discussed the proposal with a group of people with this condition. We will meet regularly with our study patient group to discuss our progress and the findings to be certain that we produce information that is helpful to people with PMR and the healthcare staff that care for them.
Amount Awarded: £94,285