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Corticosteroids are the first-line therapy for adults with newly diagnosed primary immune thrombocytopenia (PIT), but whether dexamethasone is superior to prednisone is uncertain.
To compare the safety and efficacy of these two corticosteroids, investigators conducted a prospective, randomized, multicenter, open-label clinical trial in 192 patients with PIT. Dexamethasone was given orally in a dose of 40 mg daily for 4 days and repeated if the platelet count either remained <30,000/μL or declined to this level 1 week after the initial course. Prednisone was given in a dose of 1 mg/kg daily for 4 weeks and then gradually tapered to the lowest dose that maintained a platelet count >30,000/μL. A complete response was defined as a platelet count…