Loading...
High-dose prednisone suppresses the hypothalamic- pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, but does low-dose, long-term therapy have similar effects? An analysis of 44 patients at a university-based rheumatology clinic addressed this controversy.
Patients had been taking an average of about 10 mg or less of prednisone daily during the 7 months before the study, and were taking 1.5 to 10 mg daily at the time of the study. Researchers reviewed patient charts to determine the average dose during the past 24 months, the highest daily dose, the total cumulative dose, and the total duration of therapy. They then compared the 11 patients with HPA suppression (as determined on a rapid ACTH stimulation test) to those with normal or intermediate ACTH responses.
C…