Table 1.
Characteristics of SARS patients [percentages, or mean (SD)] who had been on steroid therapy
| Men (N = 83) | Women (N = 141) | |
|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | ||
| 20–29 | 24.1% | 37.6% |
| 30–39 | 43.4% | 26.2% |
| 40–49 | 10.8% | 17.0% |
| 50–59 | 14.5% | 16.3% |
| 60 or above | 7.2% | 2.8% |
| Duration of disease (days) | 23 (10) | 23 (10) |
| Drug treatment protocola | ||
| I | 12.1% | 18.4% |
| II | 10.8% | 8.5% |
| III | 38.6% | 42.6% |
| IV | 38.6% | 30.5% |
| Prednisolone equivalent dose per day (mg) | 176 (109) | 152 (111) |
| Duration of prednisolone equivalent dose (days) | 17 (10) | 17 (10) |
| Cumulative prednisolone equivalent dose (mg) | 2931 (2,085) | 2648 (2,191) |
| Cumulative ribavirin dose (mg) | 24,326 (14,605) | 32,298 (15,857) |
| Admission to intensive care unit | ||
| Yes | 24.1% | 11.4% |
| Bone mineral density (g/cm2) | ||
| Total hip | 0.91 (0.15) | 0.87 (0.12) |
| Total spine | 0.94 (0.13) | 0.96 (0.11) |
a
I: Oral ribavirin as a loading dose of 2.4 g stat followed by 1.2 g three times daily and prednisolone 0.5–1 mg/kg body weight per day. II: Intravenous ribavirin (400 mg every 8 h) combined with hydrocortisone (100 mg every 8 h). III: Pulses of high-dose methylprednisolone (0.5 g IVI for three consecutive days) added on initial combination therapy. IV: Further pulses of methylprednisolone, up to a total of 3 g/day.