Abstract
To determine the effects of alternate-day prednisone therapy on respiratory function in myasthenia gravis, eight patients were evaluated during "days on" and "days off" prednisone. The patients were treated with long-term (up to three years), high-single-dose, alternate-day oral prednisone. After patients had been controlled with alternate-day prednisone they had no episodes of acute respiratory insufficiency or myasthenic crises. Although a small reduction in respiratory function during the day off prednisone was seen in some patients, the change was not statistically significant for the group and was probably physiologically unimportant in most patients. The data indicate that in myasthenic patients who have no underlying lung disease respiratory function is not significantly compromised by administering the prednisone on alternate days.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- DUBOIS A. B., BOTELHO S. Y., BEDELL G. N., MARSHALL R., COMROE J. H., Jr A rapid plethysmographic method for measuring thoracic gas volume: a comparison with a nitrogen washout method for measuring functional residual capacity in normal subjects. J Clin Invest. 1956 Mar;35(3):322–326. doi: 10.1172/JCI103281. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- DUBOIS A. B., BOTELHO S. Y., COMROE J. H., Jr A new method for measuring airway resistance in man using a body plethysmograph: values in normal subjects and in patients with respiratory disease. J Clin Invest. 1956 Mar;35(3):327–335. doi: 10.1172/JCI103282. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Gaensler E. A., Smith A. A. Attachment for automated single breath diffusing capacity measurement. Chest. 1973 Feb;63(2):136–145. doi: 10.1378/chest.63.2.136. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- HARTER J. G., REDDY W. J., THORN G. W. STUDIES ON AN INTERMITTENT CORTICOSTEROID DOSAGE REGIMEN. N Engl J Med. 1963 Sep 19;269:591–596. doi: 10.1056/NEJM196309192691201. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- KORY R. C., CALLAHAN R., BOREN H. G., SYNER J. C. The Veterans Administration-Army cooperative study of pulmonary function. I. Clinical spirometry in normal men. Am J Med. 1961 Feb;30:243–258. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(61)90096-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Meneely G. R., Kaltreider N. L. THE VOLUME OF THE LUNG DETERMINED BY HELIUM DILUTION. DESCRIPTION OF THE METHOD AND COMPARISON WITH OTHER PROCEDURES. J Clin Invest. 1949 Jan;28(1):129–139. doi: 10.1172/JCI102041. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Osserman K. E., Genkins G. Studies in myasthenia gravis: review of a twenty-year experience in over 1200 patients. Mt Sinai J Med. 1971 Nov-Dec;38(6):497–537. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Warmolts J. R., Engel W. K. Benefit from alternate-day prednisone in myasthenia gravis. N Engl J Med. 1972 Jan 6;286(1):17–20. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197201062860104. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]