TABLE 1.
Basic characteristics of all included studies in this network meta-analysis.
| References | Country | Sample size (male) | Mean age, yrs | Disease severity | GO duration (mos) | Details of interventions | Follow-up | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akarsu et al. (2011) | Turkey | 18 (7) vs. 15 (5) | 28.4 vs. 29.6 | Moderately severe active GO | 3.1 vs. 2.9 | 0.5 g iv MP for 6 wks, followed by 0.25 g weekly for 6 wks (WR) | 72 mg po MP for 2 wks, followed by 8 mg for 2 wks (OGC) | 24 wks |
| Aktaran et al. (2007) | Turkey | 25 (11) vs. 27 (13) | 44.3 vs. 41.3 | Moderately severe active GO | 1–5 | 0.5 g iv MP for 6 wks, followed by 0.25 g weekly for 6 wks (WR) | 72 mg po MP for 2 wks, followed by 8 mg for 2 wks (OGC) | 3 mos |
| He et al. (2017) | China | 22 (6) vs. 18 (8) | 42.3 vs. 41.2 | Moderately severe GO | 7 vs. 6 | 1.5 g iv MP monthly for 3 mos (MR) | 0.5 g iv MP weekly for 6 wks, followed by 0.25 g for 6 wks (WR) | 13 wks |
| Kahaly et al. (2005) | Germany | 35 (10) vs. 35 (11) | 52 vs. 48 | Moderately severe GO | 4 vs. 3 | 0.5 g iv MP for 6 wks, followed by 0.25 g weekly for 6 wks (WR) | 0.1 g po PS for 2 wks, followed by 0.01 g for 2 wks (OGC) | 6 mos |
| Kauppinen-Mäkelin et al. (2002) | Finland | 18 (1) vs. 15 (1) | 46.4 vs. 46.1 | Mildly moderate GO | n.r. | total 4.16 g MP weekly for 16 wks (WR) | total 2.99 g PS for 16 wks (OGC) | 12 mos |
| Macchia et al. (2001) | Italy | 25 (6) vs. 26 (5) | 42.6 vs. 44.6 | Mildly moderate GO | n.r. | 1 g iv MP weekly for 6 wks (WR) | 60–80 mg po PS for 6 wks (OGC) | 1 yr |
| Marcocci et al. (2001) | Italy | 41 (6) vs. 41 (8) | 50 vs. 48 | Moderately severe GO | 35 vs. 34 | total 9–12 g iv MP weekly for 14 wks (WR) | total 2.99 g PS for 14 wks (OGC) | 2 mos |
| Mu et al. (2020) | China | 46 (18) vs. 44 (20) | 35.2 vs. 34.8 | Moderately severe active TAO | 12.6 vs. 6.6 | 0.5 g iv MP for 6 wks, followed by 0.25 g weekly for 6 wks (WR) | 0.5 g iv MP daily for 5 days, followed by po MP for 3 mos (DR) | 12 wks |
| Roy et al. (2015) | India | 31 (9) vs. 31 (15) | 37.6 vs. 36.9 | Moderately severe active GO | n.r. | 0.5 g iv MP monthly for 4 mos (MR) | 1 mg po PS for 6 wks then tapered stopped (OGC) | 12 mos |
| Zhu et al. (2014) | China | 39 (15) vs. 41 (19) | 45.3 vs. 48.2 | Moderately severe active GO | 13.6 vs. 6.4 | 0.5 g iv MP for 6 wks, followed by 0.25 g weekly for 6 wks (WR) | 0.5 g iv MP daily for 2 wks, followed by 0.25 g for 2 wks and then by tapering po PS (DR) | 12 wks |
GO, Graves’ ophthalmopathy; TAO, thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy; DR, daily regime; WR, weekly regime; MR, monthly regime; OGC, oral glucocorticoids; yrs, years; mos, months; wks, weeks; iv, intravenous; po, oral; MP, methylprednisolone; PS, prednisolone; n.r., not reported.