Table 2.
Summary of RCTs of steroid withdrawal/avoidance and the effects on growth
| Author | Year | Follow-up (months) | Intervention | Steroid withdrawal/avoidance | Change in height SDS | Controls | Change in height SDS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | Overall | Prepubertal | Pubertal | ||||||
| Hocker [55] | 2010 | 24 | Late withdrawal | 23 | 0.60 | 0.70 (n = 13) | 0.40 (n = 7) | 19 | −0.20 |
| Benfield [56] | 2010 | 30 | Late withdrawal | 73 | 0.16 | 59 | −0.04 | ||
| Sarwal [57] | 2012 | 36 | Avoidance | 60 | −0.92 | −0.43 (n = 11 < 5 years) | 70 | −0.96 | |
| Mericq [58] | 2013 | 12 | Early withdrawal | 14 | 1.20 | 1.30 (n = 12) | 16 | 0.60 | |
| Webb [59] | 2015 | 24 | Early withdrawal | 98 | 0.57 | 0.69 (n = 48) | −0.04 (n = 50) | 98 | 0.33 |