Efficacy of high‐dose methylprednisolone as a first‐line therapy in adult patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura

Fifty‐seven adult patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) were treated with either conventional‐dose prednisolone (CDP) (1 mg/kg/d, 36 patients) or high‐dose methylprednisolone (HDP) (30 mg/kg/d, 21 patients), as first‐line treatment. Patients in the HDP arm responded more rapidly (4...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of haematology 1998-12, Vol.103 (4), p.1061-1063
Main Authors: Alpdogan, Önder, Budak‐Alpdogan, Tülin, Ratip, Siret, Firatli‐Tuglular, Tülin, Tanriverdi, Serpil, Karti, Sami, Bayik, Mahmut, Akoglu, Tevfik
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Biological and medical sciences
Blood. Blood coagulation. Reticuloendothelial system
Female
Glucocorticoids - administration & dosage
Hematology
high‐dose methylprednisolone
Humans
idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
Male
Medical sciences
Methylprednisolone - administration & dosage
Middle Aged
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Prednisolone - therapeutic use
Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic - drug therapy
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Summary:Fifty‐seven adult patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) were treated with either conventional‐dose prednisolone (CDP) (1 mg/kg/d, 36 patients) or high‐dose methylprednisolone (HDP) (30 mg/kg/d, 21 patients), as first‐line treatment. Patients in the HDP arm responded more rapidly (4.7 v 8.4 d), with a higher response rate (80% v 52.7%), and without severe side‐effects. One quarter of the patients (3/12) who were non‐responsive to CDP achieved complete remission when they were treated with HDP. The findings suggest that HDP may be a more effective first‐line treatment than CDP for adult ITP, and it may also be preferred for life‐threatening cases of ITP. However, these results must be confirmed by a randomized study prior to any change in the current practice of employing CDP as first‐line treatment for adult ITP.
ISSN:0007-1048
1365-2141
DOI:10.1046/j.1365-2141.1998.01096.x