CLINICAL TRIAL
COMPARATIVE STUDY
JOURNAL ARTICLE
RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL
Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

High-dose intravenous corticosteroid therapy for Graves' ophthalmopathy.

In order to compare oral and high-dose iv corticosteroid therapy for Graves' disease, 25 patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy were treated with two weekly iv injections of 1 g of methylprednisolone diluted in 250-500 ml of physiological solution for 6 weeks, and were compared to a group of 26 patients treated with oral prednisone at a dose of 60-80 mg/day progressively reduced every 2 weeks for a total duration of 4-6 months. The efficacy of treatment was evaluated using the ophthalmopathy index score. Patients were followed at 3, 6, 12 months, and afterwards yearly. All patients showed a significant improvement in signs and symptoms of orbital inflammation and a slight improvement in proptosis and diplopia. Relevant side-effects were reported from patients receiving oral therapy, but no significant side-effects were observed in patients treated with high iv doses; a few cases presented with gastric pain (highly sensitive to aluminium oxide or ranitidine), while most of the patients referred to cutaneous rashes and a metal taste that disappeared some hours after the infusion. Improvements observed after treatment have been stable in both groups. In conclusion, in addition to a lower incidence of side-effects compared to the classic oral therapy, the high-dose iv steroid therapy provides efficient and stable improvement in Graves' ophthalmopathy.

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app