Table 1. Characteristics of studies included comparing SLE cases and controls.
| Study | Setting |
Ethnicity | SLE participants | Controls | Menstrual status in SLE | GCT use in SLE (%) | GCT dose | Level of evidence | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Age* | Female | Male | Total | Age* | Female | Male | Pre | Post | ||||||
| Dhillon 1990 | UK | NR | 22 | NR | 22 | 0 | 14 | NR | 14 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 54.5 | At least 10 mg/d for at least 6 months | IV |
| Kalla 1993 | South Africa | NR | 46 | 31 | 46 | 0 | 108 | NR | 108 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 47.8 | NR | IV |
| Formiga 1995 | Spain | Caucasian | 74 | 30 | 74 | 0 | 50 | NR | 50 | 0 | 74 | 0 | - | Mean cumulative dose: 32.5 (range 2.7–116.4) g | III |
| Pons 1995 | Spain | Caucasian | 43 | NR | 43 | 0 | 43 | NR | 43 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 65.1 | Cumulative range dose: 2.4–68.7 g | IV |
| Formiga 1996 | Spain | Caucasian | 20 | 37 | 0 | 20 | 40 | 39 | 0 | 40 | NR | NR | - | Cumulative dose 17.6 (range 8–60) g | IV |
| Chen 1996 | China | Asian | 56 | 31 | 56 | 0 | 15 | 29 | 15 | 0 | 56 | 0 | 98.2 | Mean 10 mg/d | IV |
| Kipen 1997 | Australia | NR | 97 | 44 | 97 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 60 | 37 | 71 | Median 11.6 (0.5–85.6) mg/d | IV |
| Hansen 1998 | Denmark | NR | 36 | 39 | 35 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 20 | 11 | NR | Cumulative dose: 12.5 (3.0–22. 9) g | IV |
| Sinigaglia 1999 | Italy | NR | 84 | 30 | 84 | 0 | 145 | NR | 145 | 0 | 84 | 0 | 100 | Cumulative dose 23.1 (0.2-127-0) g | |
| Teichman 1999 | Germany | NR | 55 | 58 | 55 | 0 | 20 | 54 | 20 | 0 | 33 | 22 | 63.6 | NR | IV |
| Jardinet 2000 | Belgium | NR | 35 | 30 | 35 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 35 | 0 | 82.8 | Cumulative dose 15.8 ± 14.9 g | IV |
| Gilboe 2000 | Norway | 100% Caucasian | 75 | 45 | 66 | 9 | 150 | NR | 132 | 18 | 38 | 28 | 85 | Cumulative dose 21.8 (0.23–113.4) g | IV |
| Redlich 2000 | Austria | NR | 30 | 33 | 30 | 0 | 39 | NR | 39 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 67 | Cumulative dose 14.6 (3.5) g | IV |
| Becker 2001 | Germany | NR | 64 | 33 | 33 | 31 | 0 | - | - | - | 62 | 2 | 87.5 | 2.5–100 mg PDN/day | IV |
| Bhattoa 2001 | Hungary | NR | 23 | 46 | 0 | 23 | 40 | 48 | 0 | 40 | - | - | 91.3 | Cumulative dose 33.4 (0–144.1) g | IV |
| Lakshminarayanan 2001 | US | Caucasian | 92 | 33 | 92 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 44 | 48 | 97.8 | Cumulative dose 31.6 (0.5–194.9) g | IV |
| Bhattoa 2002 | Hungary | 79 | 49 | 79 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 30 | 49 | 89.7 | Cumulative dose 13.8 (0–94.7) g | IV | |
| Boyanov 2003 | Bulgaria | NR | 48 | NR | 48 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 35 | 13 | 66.6 | Cumulative dose 34.4 (9–90) g | IV |
| Uaratanawong 2003 | Thailand | Asian | 118 | NR | 118 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 118 | 0 | 62.7 | Cumulative dose 5.2 (0.14–27.0) g | IV |
| Coimbra 2003 | Brazil | Mixed | 60 | 33 | 60 | 0 | 64 | 31 | 64 | 0 | 60 | 0 | 98.3 | Cumulative dose 29.7 (1.2–76.7) g | III |
| Borba 2005 | Brazil | Mixed | 70 | 32 | 70 | 0 | 20 | 32 | 20 | 0 | 70 | 0 | NR | With VF 15.3± 12.7 mg/day and without VF 15.7±13.1 mg/d | II |
| Mok 2008 | China | Asian | 40 | 43 | 0 | 40 | 40 | 43 | 0 | 40 | . | - | 85 | - | II |
| Li 2009 | China | Asian | 152 | 48 | 152 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 48 | 104 | 91.4 | Median dose 6.4 (4.7–8.4) mg/d | II |
| Mendoza-Pinto 2009 | México | Mixed | 210 | 43 | 210 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 106 | 104 | - | Mean cumulative dose 18.7 ± 19.5 g/d | II |
| Almehed 2010 | Sweden | Caucasian | 150 | 40 | 150 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 67 | 81 | 86 | Cumulative dose 11 (0.1 to 97.5) | III |
| Alele 2011 | US | Cauca | 153 | White: 45 Black: 42 |
153 | 0 | 4920 | White: 53 Black: 43 |
4920 | 0 | 92 | 61 | NR | NR | II |
| Mok 2012 | China | Asian | 353 | 42 | 331 | 22 | 0 | - | - | - | 226 | 127 | 81 | Mean 4.6 ± 4.4 mg/d | II |
| Tang 2013 | China | Asian | 180 | 42 | 180 | 0 | 180 | 43 | 180 | 0 | 110 | 70 | 100 | Cumulative 18.6 (10.6–27.8) g | II |
| Mak 2013 | Singapore | Asian | 45 | 50 | 37 | 8 | 45 | 49 | 37 | 8 | 13 | 24 | NR | Cumulative dose10.00 ± 10.7 g | IV |
| Jacobs 2013 | The Netherlands | 72.2% Caucasians | 126 | 39 | 113 | 13 | 0 | - | - | - | 103 | 23 | 51.6 | Mean 9.2±10.8 mg/d | IV |
| Furukawa 2013 | Japan | Asian | 52 | NR | 52 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 33 | 19 | 92.3 | Mean daily dose: 8.4 mg | IIb |
| Bonfá 2015 | Brazil | NR | 211 | 33 | 211 | 0 | 154 | 32 | 154 | 0 | 211 | 0 | 75.4 | Cumulative dose: 28.6±22.1 g | IV |
| Ajeganova 2015 | Sweden | NR | 111 | 49 | 99 | 12 | 111 | 49 | 99 | 12 | 63 | 48 | 60.4 | Median dose 5.0 (3.7–10.0) mg/d | IV |
| Sun 2015 | China | Asian | 119 | 33 | 119 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 105 | 14 | 0 | 0 | IV |
| Salman-Monte | Spain | Caucasian | 67 | 53 | 67 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 29 | 38 | 80.5 | NR | IV |
| Carli 2016 | Italy | Caucasian | 186 | 46 | 175 | 11 | 0 | - | - | - | 128 | 58 | NR | Mean cumulative dose in patients with OP 37.1 ± 25.5 g; without OP 24.4 ± 16.6 g | IV |
| Guo 2017 | China | Asian | 60 | 26 | 0 | 60 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | IV |
Abbreviation: GCT = glucocorticoid therapy; d = day; g = grams; mg = milligrams; OP = osteoporosis; PDN = prednisone; NR = Not reported; UK = United Kingdom; US = United States; VF = vertebral fracture
* = mean.