Source: Healio
As reported in the professional online publication Healio, a new analysis linked likelihood of organ damage with glucocorticoid treatment.
A total of 2,199 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus were studied.
Immunosuppressants were used by 19.2% of patients, whereas 70.3% of patients received hydroxychloroquine, 52.7% received corticosteroids and some patients used more than one therapy. Slightly more than 40% of patients received an average daily dose of prednisone of 7.5 mg or more.
The most common types of new organ damage observed included musculoskeletal damage in 20.3% of patients, ocular damage in 15.8%, cataracts in 13.7% and osteoporotic fractures in 12.4%.
Patients who received an average of 7.5 mg or more per day of prednisone were 1.742-times more likely to develop new organ damage than those on lower average dosages, and the risk increased in a linear direction as the dosage increased. Patients who received 20 mg per day or more of prednisone were more than twice as likely to develop new organ damage. The risk of developing new organ damage increased by 3% with each 1 mg increase in average daily prednisone exposure, according to the researchers.
These results were published in the professional journal Lupus Science and Medicine by SA Sarah Al Sawah, an employee of Eli Lilly.
