Background: Steroids are highly effective in active Crohn's disease; clinical relapse following steroid withdrawal, however, is frequent. We used two steroid regimens of different duration in order to compare their efficacy in inducing and maintaining clinical remission. Methods: Seventy patients with active Crohn's disease were treated with methylprednisolone 40 mg/day i.m. for 3 weeks and then with two different regimens of tapering dosage: one for a further 4 weeks and another for a further 12 weeks. Results: Steroid therapy induced remission within 3 weeks in 91 % of the whole group of patients: at the end of each protocol remission rates were 85% of patients in the group treated for the shorter period and 87% of those treated for the longer period (difference 2%. CI = ‐ 14 to 18, P = NS); remission rates within 6 months after stopping steroids were 53% and 37% respectively (difference 16%, CI = ‐9 to 41, P = NS). Conclusions: No significant differences were found between the two regimens. Multiple courses of steroid treatment in the previous 3 years and a short time interval following previous steroid treatment seem to be risk factors for relapse. Copyright © 1994, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved
Steroid treatment in active Crohn's disease: a comparison between two regimens of different duration / BRICNOLA C.; DE SIMONE G.; BELLOLI C.; IANNONE P.; BELLUZZI A.; GIONCHETTI P.; CAMPIERI M.; BARBARA L.. - In: ALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS. - ISSN 0269-2813. - STAMPA. - 8:4(1994), pp. 465-468. [10.1111/j.1365-2036.1994.tb00316.x]
Steroid treatment in active Crohn's disease: a comparison between two regimens of different duration
IANNONE P.;BELLUZZI A.;GIONCHETTI P.;CAMPIERI M.;BARBARA L.
1994
Abstract
Background: Steroids are highly effective in active Crohn's disease; clinical relapse following steroid withdrawal, however, is frequent. We used two steroid regimens of different duration in order to compare their efficacy in inducing and maintaining clinical remission. Methods: Seventy patients with active Crohn's disease were treated with methylprednisolone 40 mg/day i.m. for 3 weeks and then with two different regimens of tapering dosage: one for a further 4 weeks and another for a further 12 weeks. Results: Steroid therapy induced remission within 3 weeks in 91 % of the whole group of patients: at the end of each protocol remission rates were 85% of patients in the group treated for the shorter period and 87% of those treated for the longer period (difference 2%. CI = ‐ 14 to 18, P = NS); remission rates within 6 months after stopping steroids were 53% and 37% respectively (difference 16%, CI = ‐9 to 41, P = NS). Conclusions: No significant differences were found between the two regimens. Multiple courses of steroid treatment in the previous 3 years and a short time interval following previous steroid treatment seem to be risk factors for relapse. Copyright © 1994, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reservedI documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.