Muscle loss following a single high-dose intramuscular injection of corticosteroids to treat disease flare in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Substantial muscle loss occurred in patients with RA following IM CS injection to treat a disease flare. Thus, this recommended treatment appears to exacerbate RC, thereby potentially increasing disability and co-morbidity risk. If this effect is confirmed by larger studies, the role of one-off high-dose CS in the treatment of RA should be reviewed.