Effect of prednisone on type I interferon signature in rheumatoid arthritis: consequences for response prediction to rituximab

Elevated type I interferon (IFN) response gene (IRG) expression has proven clinical relevance in predicting rituximab non-response in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Interference between glucocorticoids (GCs) and type I IFN signaling has been demonstrated in vitro. Since GC use and dose are highly variable among patients before rituximab treatment, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of GC use on IRG expression in relation to rituximab response prediction in RA. In two independent cohorts of 32 and 182 biologic-free RA patients and a third cohort of 40 rituximab-starting RA patients,... Mehr ...