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Frontiers in Endocrinology 2022Radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy is a critical component in the post-surgical management of thyroid cancer patients, as well as being a central therapeutic option in the... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
INTRODUCTION
Radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy is a critical component in the post-surgical management of thyroid cancer patients, as well as being a central therapeutic option in the treatment of hyperthyroidism. Previous work suggests that antithyroid drugs hinder the efficacy of RAI therapy in patients. However, the effects of other background medications on RAI treatment efficacy have not been evaluated. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the potential off-target effects of medication on RAI therapy in patients with thyroid cancer and hyperthyroidism.
METHODS
Systematic review and meta-analysis according to the 2020 PRISMA guidelines. Databases searched: MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Library for studies published between 2001 and 2021.
RESULTS
Sixty-nine unique studies were identified. After screening, 17 studies with 3313 participants were included. One study investigated thyroid cancer, with the rest targeted to hyperthyroidism. The majority of studies evaluated the effects of antithyroid drugs; the other drugs studied included lithium, prednisone and glycididazole sodium. Antithyroid drugs were associated with negative impacts on post-RAI outcomes (n = 5 studies, RR = 0.81, p = 0.02). However, meta-analysis found moderate heterogeneity between studies (I2 = 51%, τ2 = 0.0199, p = 0.08). Interestingly, lithium (n = 3 studies), prednisone (n = 1 study) and glycididazole (n = 1 study) appeared to have positive impacts on post-RAI outcomes upon qualitative analysis.
CONCLUSION
Our systematic review strengthens previous work on antithyroid medication effects on RAI, and highlights that this field remains under researched especially for background medications unrelated to thyroid disease, with very few papers on non-thyroid medications published.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION
https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php, identifier CRD42021274026.
Topics: Humans; Antithyroid Agents; Iodine Radioisotopes; Lithium; Prednisone; Thyroid Neoplasms; Hyperthyroidism; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 36686426
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.1061555 -
The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Nov 2017Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) is a progressive or relapsing and remitting paralysing illness, probably due to an autoimmune response,... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
BACKGROUND
Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) is a progressive or relapsing and remitting paralysing illness, probably due to an autoimmune response, which should benefit from corticosteroid treatment. Non-randomised studies suggest that corticosteroids are beneficial. Two commonly used corticosteroids are prednisone and prednisolone. Both are usually given as oral tablets. Prednisone is converted into prednisolone in the liver so that the effect of the two drugs is usually the same. Another corticosteroid, dexamethasone, is more potent and is used in smaller doses. The review was first published in 2001 and last updated in 2015; we undertook this update to identify any new evidence.
OBJECTIVES
To assess the effects of corticosteroid treatment for CIDP compared to placebo or no treatment, and to compare the effects of different corticosteroid regimens.
SEARCH METHODS
On 8 November 2016, we searched the Cochrane Neuromuscular Specialised Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, and Embase for randomised trials of corticosteroids for CIDP. We searched clinical trials registries for ongoing trials.
SELECTION CRITERIA
We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-RCTs of treatment with any corticosteroid or adrenocorticotrophic hormone for CIDP, diagnosed by an internationally accepted definition.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two authors extracted data from included studies and assessed the risk of bias independently. The intended primary outcome was change in disability, with change in impairment after 12 weeks and side effects as secondary outcomes. We assessed strength of evidence using the GRADE approach.
MAIN RESULTS
One non-blinded RCT comparing prednisone with no treatment in 35 eligible participants did not measure the primary outcome for this systematic review. The trial had a high risk of bias. Neuropathy Impairment Scale scores after 12 weeks improved in 12 of 19 participants randomised to prednisone, compared with five of 16 participants randomised to no treatment (risk ratio (RR) for improvement 2.02 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.90 to 4.52; very low-quality evidence). The trial did not report side effects in detail, but one prednisone-treated participant died.A double-blind RCT comparing daily standard-dose oral prednisolone with monthly high-dose oral dexamethasone in 40 participants reported none of the prespecified outcomes for this review. The trial had a low risk of bias, but the quality of evidence was limited as it came from a single small study. There was little or no difference in number of participants who achieved remission (RR 1.11; 95% CI 0.50 to 2.45 in favour of monthly dexamethasone; moderate-quality evidence), or change in disability or impairment after one year (low-quality evidence). Change of grip strength or Medical Research Council (MRC) scores demonstrated little or no difference between groups (moderate-quality to low-quality evidence). Eight of 16 people in the prednisolone group and seven of 24 people in the dexamethasone group deteriorated. Side effects were similar with each regimen, except that sleeplessness was less common with monthly dexamethasone (low-quality evidence) as was moon facies (moon-shaped appearance of the face) (moderate-quality evidence).Experience from large non-randomised studies suggests that corticosteroids are beneficial, but long-term use causes serious side effects.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
We are very uncertain about the effects of oral prednisone compared with no treatment, because the quality of evidence from the only RCT that exists is very low. Nevertheless, corticosteroids are commonly used in practice, supported by very low-quality evidence from observational studies. We also know from observational studies that corticosteroids carry the long-term risk of serious side effects. The efficacy of high-dose monthly oral dexamethasone is probably little different from that of daily standard-dose oral prednisolone. Most side effects occurred with similar frequencies in both groups, but with high-dose monthly oral dexamethasone moon facies is probably less common and sleeplessness may be less common than with oral prednisolone. We need further research to identify factors that predict response.
Topics: Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Dexamethasone; Glucocorticoids; Humans; Polyradiculoneuropathy, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating; Prednisolone; Prednisone; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
PubMed: 29185258
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD002062.pub4 -
Patient reported side-effects of prednisone and methotrexate in a real-world sarcoidosis population.Chronic Respiratory Disease 2021Currently prednisone is the first-line pharmacological treatment option for pulmonary sarcoidosis. Methotrexate is used as second-line therapy and seems to have fewer...
Currently prednisone is the first-line pharmacological treatment option for pulmonary sarcoidosis. Methotrexate is used as second-line therapy and seems to have fewer side-effects. No prospective comparative studies of first-line treatment with methotrexate exist. In this study, we evaluated patient reported presence and bothersomeness of side-effects of prednisone and methotrexate in a sarcoidosis population to guide the design of a larger prospective study. During a yearly patient information meeting 67 patients completed a questionnaire on medication use; 11 patients never used prednisone or methotrexate and were excluded from further analysis. Of the remaining 56 patients, 89% used prednisone and 70% methotrexate (present or former). Significantly more side-effects were reported for prednisone than for methotrexate, 78% versus 49% ( = 0.006). In conclusion, methotrexate seems to have fewer and less bothersome side-effects than prednisone. These findings need to be confirmed in a prospective study.
Topics: Humans; Immunosuppressive Agents; Methotrexate; Patient Reported Outcome Measures; Prednisone; Prospective Studies; Sarcoidosis
PubMed: 34569301
DOI: 10.1177/14799731211031935 -
Drug Design, Development and Therapy 2016The introduction of modified-release (MR) prednisone adds a drug with encouraging potential to the armamentarium of the rheumatologist. In particular, for patients... (Review)
Review
The introduction of modified-release (MR) prednisone adds a drug with encouraging potential to the armamentarium of the rheumatologist. In particular, for patients experiencing a reduced quality of life due to prolonged morning stiffness, it is a promising therapeutic approach. Two clinical trials and one open-label observational study investigated the effectiveness of MR prednisone in reducing rheumatoid arthritis-related morning stiffness for both new and current users of corticosteroids. The efficacy and safety of MR prednisone use in rheumatoid arthritis patients are reviewed in this article. This includes pivotal trials as well as pathophysiological considerations and clinical implications.
Topics: Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Humans; Prednisone
PubMed: 27022244
DOI: 10.2147/DDDT.S87792 -
Basic & Clinical Pharmacology &... Jun 2023This study explores the role of steroid administration in identifying distressed or even mentally disordered cancer patients (so-called case finding). Charts of 12 298...
This study explores the role of steroid administration in identifying distressed or even mentally disordered cancer patients (so-called case finding). Charts of 12 298 cancer patients (4499 treated with prednisone equivalents) were analysed descriptively. A subset of 10 945 was further explored via latent class analysis (LCA). LCA avoids confounding by indication because it subgroups patients without prior preconceptions based on homogeneous expression of traits (i.e. the variables examined). LCA identified four subgroups: two subgroups with high dosages of prednisone equivalent (≥80 mg/day on average over all treatment days) and two with low dosages. The two subgroups with high average dosages had an increased likelihood of psychotropic drug administration, but only one was more likely to require 1:1 observation. In one subgroup, low dosages of prednisone equivlents correlated with a slightly increased probability for a psychiatric assessment and psychotropic drug administration. The subgroup least likely to receive steroid treatment was also the least likely to receive a psychiatric assessment and psychotropic drug administration. Descriptive statistics on age, sex, cumulative inpatient treatment, type of cancer, stage of cancer at first diagnosis, mental disorders, severe mental disorders and psychotropic drug administration (antidepressants, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, anticonvulsants/mood stabilizers, opioids) are provided for patients receiving no, less and more than 80 mg of prednisone equivalent.
Topics: Humans; Prednisone; Psychotropic Drugs; Antipsychotic Agents; Mental Disorders; Anticonvulsants; Neoplasms
PubMed: 36878670
DOI: 10.1111/bcpt.13853 -
Revista Da Associacao Medica Brasileira... Apr 2022The aim of this study was to analyze the occurrence and risk factors associated with infections during pregnancy in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to analyze the occurrence and risk factors associated with infections during pregnancy in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
METHODS
This is a retrospective cohort study using the data of pregnant women who were followed up between 2011 and 2018 at a university hospital.
RESULTS
The data of 221 pregnant women with systemic lupus erythematosus were analyzed. The incidence of infections was 22.6% (50/221), with the urinary tract being the most frequent site of infection (32/221, 14.5%) followed by the respiratory tract (15/221, 6.8%). The bivariate analysis showed that active disease, hematological systemic lupus erythematosus, reduced complement, and use of prednisone ≥5 and ≥10 mg increased the chance of infection during early pregnancy (p=0.05, p=0.04, p=0.003, p=0.008, and p=0.02, respectively), while disease activity and anti-DNA positivity increased it at the end of pregnancy (p=0.03 and p=0.04, respectively). Prednisone at a dose ≥5 mg increased the chance of infection in the beginning (p=0.01) and at the end of pregnancy (p=0.008). Multivariate analysis showed that increasing the dose of prednisone from 5 to 10 mg tripled the chance of developing infections in pregnant women with lupus (p=0.02).
CONCLUSION
The study showed an increased chance of infections in pregnant women with systemic lupus erythematosus and it was associated with the use of prednisone.
Topics: Female; Humans; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic; Prednisone; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications; Pregnancy Outcome; Pregnant Women; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors
PubMed: 35649080
DOI: 10.1590/1806-9282.20220074 -
The Israel Medical Association Journal... Dec 2022Severe asthma affects up to 20,000 citizens of Israel. Novel biological therapies, which individually have been proven to reduce asthma morbidity in clinical trials,... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Severe asthma affects up to 20,000 citizens of Israel. Novel biological therapies, which individually have been proven to reduce asthma morbidity in clinical trials, have become available in recent years. Comparative data among different drugs are scarce.
OBJECTIVES
To describe and compare the clinical outcomes of biological therapies in severe asthma patients treated at Shamir Medical Center.
METHODS
We conducted a cohort study based on a review of cases treated with monoclonal antibodies for severe asthma at our center. Data were extracted for demographics, eosinophil count, lung function (FEV1), exacerbation rate, and median dose of oral prednisone. Between-drug comparison was conducted by repeated measures ANOVA.
RESULTS
The cohort included 62 patients receiving biological therapy. All biologic drugs were found to reduce exacerbation rate [F(1, 2) = 40.4, P < 0.0001] and prednisone use [F(1, 4) = 16, P < 0.001] significantly. ANOVA revealed no difference of efficacy endpoints between the different drugs. Eosinophil count was significantly reduced post-biologic treatment in the anti-interleukin-5 agents (P < 0.001) but not under treatment with omalizumab and dupilumab.
CONCLUSIONS
All of the biological therapies were effective for improving clinical outcomes. None of the agents was clearly superior to any other. These data emphasize the need for severe asthma patients to be seen by pulmonary medicine specialists and offered, where appropriate, biological therapies.
Topics: Humans; Anti-Asthmatic Agents; Prednisone; Cohort Studies; Asthma; Biological Products
PubMed: 36573775
DOI: No ID Found -
The New England Journal of Medicine Nov 2018Early initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients who have tuberculosis reduces mortality among patients with low... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Early initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients who have tuberculosis reduces mortality among patients with low CD4 counts, but it increases the risk of paradoxical tuberculosis-associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS).
METHODS
We conducted this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to assess whether prophylactic prednisone can safely reduce the incidence of paradoxical tuberculosis-associated IRIS in patients at high risk for the syndrome. We enrolled HIV-infected patients who were initiating ART (and had not previously received ART), had started tuberculosis treatment within 30 days before initiating ART, and had a CD4 count of 100 cells or fewer per microliter. Patients received either prednisone (at a dose of 40 mg per day for 14 days, then 20 mg per day for 14 days) or placebo. The primary end point was the development of tuberculosis-associated IRIS within 12 weeks after initiating ART, as adjudicated by an independent committee.
RESULTS
Among the 240 patients who were enrolled, the median age was 36 (interquartile range, 30 to 42), 60% were men, and 73% had microbiologically confirmed tuberculosis; the median CD4 count was 49 cells per microliter (interquartile range, 24 to 86), and the median HIV type 1 RNA viral load was 5.5 log copies per milliliter (interquartile range, 5.2 to 5.9). A total of 120 patients were assigned to each group, and 18 patients were lost to follow-up or withdrew. Tuberculosis-associated IRIS was diagnosed in 39 patients (32.5%) in the prednisone group and in 56 (46.7%) in the placebo group (relative risk, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.51 to 0.96; P=0.03). Open-label glucocorticoids were prescribed to treat tuberculosis-associated IRIS in 16 patients (13.3%) in the prednisone group and in 34 (28.3%) in the placebo group (relative risk, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.27 to 0.81). There were five deaths in the prednisone group and four in the placebo group (P=1.00). Severe infections (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-defining illnesses or invasive bacterial infections) occurred in 11 patients in the prednisone group and in 18 patients in the placebo group (P=0.23). One case of Kaposi's sarcoma occurred in the placebo group.
CONCLUSIONS
Prednisone treatment during the first 4 weeks after the initiation of ART for HIV infection resulted in a lower incidence of tuberculosis-associated IRIS than placebo, without evidence of an increased risk of severe infections or cancers. (Funded by the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership and others; PredART ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01924286 .).
Topics: AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections; Adult; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Anti-Retroviral Agents; Antitubercular Agents; CD4 Lymphocyte Count; Double-Blind Method; Female; HIV Infections; Humans; Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome; Male; Prednisone; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary
PubMed: 30428290
DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1800762 -
The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Apr 2016Review withdrawn from Issue 4, 2016. Replaced by new reviews 'Short‐course oral steroids alone for chronic rhinosinusitis' (Head 2016a) and 'Short‐course oral... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Review withdrawn from Issue 4, 2016. Replaced by new reviews 'Short‐course oral steroids alone for chronic rhinosinusitis' (Head 2016a) and 'Short‐course oral steroids as an adjunct therapy for chronic rhinosinusitis' (Head 2016b). The editorial group responsible for this previously published document have withdrawn it from publication.
Topics: Administration, Oral; Humans; Nasal Obstruction; Nasal Polyps; Olfaction Disorders; Prednisone; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Steroids
PubMed: 27111708
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD005232.pub4 -
Haematologica Dec 2023Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL) encompass over 30 different entities and although they share post-thymic T- or NK-cell derivation, the disease biology and genomic...
Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL) encompass over 30 different entities and although they share post-thymic T- or NK-cell derivation, the disease biology and genomic landscape are very diverse across subtypes. In Western populations, nodal PTCL are the most frequently encountered entities in clinical practice and although important achievements have been made in deciphering the underlying biology and in therapeutic advances, there are still large gaps in disease understanding and clinical scenarios in which controversy over best practice continues. CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone)- based chemotherapy continues to be the 'standard' treatment, with the addition of brentuximab vedotin (BV) in the combination CHP (cyclosphosphamide, doxorubicin, prednisone)-BV representing a new treatment paradigm in CD30+ PTCL although its benefit is less certain in the non-anaplastic large cell lymphoma subtypes. Given the high risk of relapse, consolidative autologous stem cell transplant is considered in nodal PTCL, outside of ALK-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma; however, in the absence of a randomized controlled trials, practices vary. Beyond CHP-BV, most study activity has focused on adding a novel agent to CHOP (i.e., CHOP + drug X). However, with high complete remission rates observed with some novel therapy combinations, these regimens are being tested in the front-line setting, with a particular rationale in follicular helper T-cell lymphomas which have a clear sensitivity to epigenetic modifying therapies. This is well exemplified in the relapsed/refractory setting in which rational combination therapies are being developed for specific subtypes or guided by underlying biology. Taken together, we have finally moved into an era of a more personalized approach to the management of nodal PTCL.
Topics: Humans; Lymphoma, T-Cell, Peripheral; Prednisone; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Brentuximab Vedotin; Doxorubicin; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols
PubMed: 38037799
DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2021.280275