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formulated through 2 additional Delphi rounds (table 6). ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Professor H Capell, Centre for Rheumatic Diseases, Royal Infirmary Glasgow, Scotland, UK, participated in the taskforce during the Delphi exercises. Authors’ affiliations ....................... J N Hoes, J W G Jacobs, J W J Bijlsma, Department of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands M Boers, Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands D Boumpas, Departments of Internal Medicine and Rheumatology, Clinical Immunology and Allergy, University of Crete, Greece F Buttgereit, Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charite´ Universita¨tsmedizin Berlin, Germany N Caeyers, EULAR Social Leagues Patients’ Representative, Belgium E H Choy, Sir Alfred Baring Garrod Clinical Trials Unit, Academic Department of Rheumatology, King’s College London, UK M Cutolo, Research Laboratory and Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Italy J A P Da Silva, Reumatologia, Hospitais da Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal G Esselens, R Westhovens, Department of Rheumatology, University Hospitals KU Leuven, Belgium L Guillevin, Service de Me´decine Interne, Centre de Re´fe´rence National ‘‘Plan Maladies Rares’’, Vascularites et Scle´rodermie, Hoˆpital Cochin, Assistance Publique—Hoˆpitaux de Paris, Universite´ Paris-V, France I Hafstrom, Department of Rheumatology, Karolinska Institute at Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden J R Kirwan, University of Bristol Academic Rheumatology Unit, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol, UK J Rovensky, National Institute of Rheumatic Diseases Piest’any, Slovak Republic A Russell, Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada K G Saag, Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA B Svensson, Department of Rheumatology, University of Lund, Lund, Sweden H Zeidler, Devision of Rheumatology, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Hannover, Germany Competing interests: None declared. This is an abbreviated version of the article; the full version is available online at http://ard.bmj.com/supplemental Table 6 Research agenda developed throughout 2 Delphi rounds 1 What is the perception of patients, general physicians and rheumatologists on efficacy, safety and management of glucocorticoid therapy in rheumatic diseases? (exploring perceptions and environmental factors as barriers for the effective and safe use of glucocorticoids). 2 What is the influence of low-dose glucocorticoid therapy on lipid profile and other cardiovascular risk factors in relation to active inflammation? 3 What is the pathophysiology of the skin side effects due to the use of glucocorticoids, and how can these be prevented? 4 What is the ideal timing of glucocorticoid treatment regarding safety as well as efficacy? 5 Regarding the use of glucocorticoids in early RA: is a continuous low dose as effective as a step-down dose (starting high and then tapering)? 6 Can we define biomarkers (including genetics) that predict glucocorticoid toxicity? 7 What is the best strategy for prediction, detection and prevention of glucocorticoid-associated cataract and glaucoma? 8 The mechanisms behind individual responsiveness and glucocorticoid resistance should be investigated and the clinical implications clarified. 9 Do glucocorticoids also inhibit radiographic progression in patients with longstanding rheumatoid arthritis? 10 What is the pathophysiological mechanism of steroid myopathy
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