Taking 10mg of prednisolone daily for six weeks produces a significant reduction in the pain of hand osteoarthritis, Dutch research shows.

The results of the randomised double-blinded trial show the largest effect-size of any treatment for hand osteoarthritis to date and may herald a turning point in treatment of the condition, the researchers write in the Lancet.

In the trial, 92 people (mean age 64, 79% female) attending two rheumatology outpatient clinics, were randomly allocated to either six weeks of prednisolone 10mg day or placebo followed by a two-week taper and then six further weeks on no medication.

All patients had symptomatic hand osteoarthritis, fulfilling the American College of Rheumatology criteria, plus other requirements relating to their interphalangeal joints, pain levels and pain flare-up in response to withdrawal of NSAIDs.