| Level I | Good quality evidence |
Systematic review of RCTs with consistent findings High quality individual RCT |
| Level II |
Limited quality patient orientated evidence |
Systematic review of lower quality studies or studies with inconsistent findings Low quality clinical trial Cohort studies Case-control studies |
| Level III | Other |
Consensus guidelines, extrapolations from bench research, usual practice, opinion, disease-oriented evidence (intermediate or physiologic outcomes only), or case series |
[4] Corticosteroids, oral (3-6 months): Boers M, Verhoeven AC, Markusse HM, van de Laar MA, Westhovens R, van DenderenJC, van Zeben D, Dijkmans BA, Peeters AJ, Jacobs P, van den Brink HR, Schouten HJ, van der Heijde DM, Boonen A, van der Linden S. Randomised comparison of combined step-down prednisolone, methotrexate and sulphasalazine with sulphasalazine alone in early rheumatoid arthritis. Lancet. 1997 Aug 2;350(9074):309-18. Erratum in: Lancet 1998 Jan 17;351(9097):220. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9251634
Corticosteroids, oral (3-6 months):Goekoop-Ruiterman YP, de Vries-Bouwstra JK, Allaart CF, van Zeben D, KerstensPJ, Hazes JM, Zwinderman AH, Ronday HK, Han KH, Westedt ML, Gerards AH, van Groenendael JH, Lems WF, van KrugtenMV, Breedveld FC, Dijkmans BA. Clinical and radiographic outcomes of four different treatment strategies in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (the BeSt study): a randomized, controlled trial. Arthritis Rheum. 2005 Nov;52(11):3381-90.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16258899
Corticosteroids, oral (3-6 months): Singh JA, Saag KG, Bridges SL Jr, Akl EA, Bannuru RR, Sullivan MC, Vaysbrot E, McNaughton C, Osani M, Shmerling RH, Curtis JR, Furst DE, Parks D, Kavanaugh A, O'Dell J, King C, Leong A, Matteson EL, Schousboe JT, Drevlow B, Ginsberg S, Grober J, St Clair EW, Tindall E, Miller AS, McAlindon T. 2015 American College of Rheumatology Guideline for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2016 Jan;68(1):1-26.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26545940
Corticosteroids, oral: South African Medicines Formulary. 12th Edition. Division of Clinical Pharmacology. University of Cape Town, 2016.