Table 3. Frequencies of Adverse Events by Treatment Group.
| Adverse eventa | Daily prednisone (n = 65) | Daily deflazacort (n = 65) | Intermittent prednisone (n = 66) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total eventsb | Severity of event | Total eventsb | Severity of event | Total eventsb | Severity of event | ||||
| Mild | >Mild | Mild | >Mild | Mild | >Mild | ||||
| Abnormal behaviorc | 22 (34) | 13 | 8 | 25 (38) | 16 | 9 | 24 (36) | 16 | 8 |
| Upper respiratory tract infection | 24 (37) | 23 | 1 | 19 (29) | 17 | 2 | 24 (36) | 19 | 5 |
| Vomiting | 19 (29) | 14 | 5 | 17 (26) | 15 | 2 | 15 (23) | 12 | 3 |
| Abdominal pain | 16 (25) | 12 | 4 | 13 (20) | 13 | 0 | 19 (29) | 17 | 2 |
| Musculoskeletal pain | 12 (18) | 12 | 0 | 15 (23) | 10 | 5 | 16 (24) | 16 | 0 |
| Cough | 13 (20) | 12 | 1 | 12 (18) | 10 | 2 | 11 (17) | 11 | 0 |
| Pyrexia | 12 (18) | 11 | 1 | 12 (18) | 11 | 1 | 10 (15) | 10 | 0 |
| Fall | 10 (15) | 5 | 5 | 7 (11) | 6 | 1 | 12 (18) | 10 | 2 |
| Cushingoid appearance | 11 (17) | 6 | 5 | 11 (17) | 6 | 5 | 5 (8) | 2 | 3 |
| Gastrointestinal infection | 10 (15) | 7 | 3 | 11 (17) | 8 | 3 | 5 (8) | 3 | 2 |
| Diarrhea | 9 (14) | 8 | 1 | 7 (11) | 6 | 1 | 10 (15) | 9 | 1 |
| Skin infection | 8 (12) | 5 | 3 | 8 (12) | 7 | 1 | 9 (14) | 7 | 2 |
| Headache | 9 (14) | 8 | 1 | 9 (14) | 9 | 0 | 6 (9) | 4 | 2 |
| Constipation | 7 (11) | 5 | 2 | 9 (14) | 8 | 1 | 7 (11) | 6 | 1 |
| Ear infection | 5 (8) | 4 | 1 | 8 (12) | 7 | 1 | 9 (14) | 9 | 0 |
| Vitamin D deficiency | 8 (12) | 8 | 0 | 7 (11) | 5 | 2 | 5 (8) | 3 | 2 |
| Weight gain | 10 (15) | 9 | 1 | 4 (6) | 3 | 1 | 5 (8) | 4 | 1 |
| Lower respiratory tract infection | 5 (8) | 3 | 2 | 7 (11) | 5 | 2 | 5 (8) | 1 | 4 |
| Hypertrichosis | 7 (11) | 7 | 0 | 10 (15) | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bone fracture | 6 (9) | 1 | 5 | 7 (11) | 1 | 6 | 3 (5) | 0 | 3 |
| Rhinitis | 4 (6) | 4 | 0 | 5 (8) | 5 | 0 | 6 (9) | 6 | 0 |
| Sleep disturbance | 4 (6) | 1 | 3 | 7 (11) | 3 | 4 | 4 (6) | 3 | 1 |
| Limb injury | 2 (3) | 2 | 0 | 7 (11) | 3 | 4 | 4 (6) | 4 | 0 |
| Joint pain | 3 (5) | 3 | 0 | 7 (11) | 5 | 2 | 2 (3) | 2 | 0 |
| Influenza | 8 (12) | 6 | 2 | 1 (2) | 0 | 1 | 3 (5) | 1 | 2 |
| Frequent daytime urination | 4 (6) | 3 | 1 | 2 (3) | 2 | 0 | 5 (8) | 5 | 0 |
| High blood pressure | 4 (6) | 4 | 0 | 3 (5) | 2 | 1 | 3 (5) | 2 | 1 |
| Skin papilloma | 7 (11) | 7 | 0 | 3 (5) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cataracts | 2 (3) | 2 | 0 | 7 (10) | 6 | 1 | 1 (1) | 1 | 0 |
a
Listed in order of their total frequency.
b
No. (%) of participants who experienced the given adverse event at least once during the 36-month follow-up period. For participants who experienced a given adverse event more than once, the event is classified by its maximum severity.
c
For the daily prednisone group, the description of severity was missing for 1 abnormal behavior event.