Objective. To examine the demographic profile and treatment patterns in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) prescribed low-dose modified-release prednisone (LODOTRA^ⓡ) on a named patient basis in Singapore and to evaluate safety and clinical outcome of the treatment. Methods. Medical records of adult patients with RA who had inadequate responses to prior RA treatment and were prescribed low-dose modified-release prednisone between January and December 2012 at a specialist clinic were reviewed retrospectively. Demographics, treatment information, relevant laboratory evaluations, and disease condition, prior to and after the start of treatment, were collected. Results. Thirty-eight patients were enrolled. The mean age was 52.8 years and median disease duration was 1.3 years (0.04 to 8.2 years). Patients received a mean daily dose of 5.0±1.0 mg of modified-release prednisone for a median period of 4.4 months (0.2 to 11.8 months). Before treatment, the majority of patients received disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (78.9%), glucocorticoids (71.0%), and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (68.4%). After the start of treatment, prescription of NSAIDs declined from 68.4% to 28.9%. Similar laboratory findings were observed before and after treatment. The median C-reactive protein level decreased substantially from 9.8 mg/L (0.2 to 77.7 mg/L) to 3.9 mg/L (0.4 to 27.6 mg/L). High proportions of patients reported improvement or recovery from morning stiffness (94.7%) or joint pain (70.0 to 100.0%) after treatment. The median number of painful joints decreased from 4 (1 to 8) to 0 (0 to 4) after treatment. Conclusion. Our clinical experience in Asian patients with RA suggests that low-dose modified-release prednisone chronotherapy is associated with similar treatment patterns, safety profile, and clinical outcomes as in Western populations. (J Rheum Dis 2015;22:76-84)

Keywords: Rheumatoid arthritis, Prednisone, Chronotherapy, Asians, Singapore