[Long-term study of diffuse connective tissue disease after methylprednisolone pulsed therapy]

Pulsed i.v. treatment with methylprednisolone (MP) infusions à 1 g 3-5 times on alternate days was administered in 22 diffuse connective tissue diseases: 13X systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 1X Sharp's syndrome and 8X polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM). In all instances active disease was involved with serious organ manifestations; 17 patients had no aimed treatment so far, in 5 previous treatment had failed. A total of 101 pulsed MP was administered. Initial MP treatment was always successful. The patients were then followed up during oral maintenance treatment for 3-60 months (mean 27 months) in a stage of persistent, inconstant or partial remission. In six patients treatment was repeated 8X after reactivation. The response was always favourable and did not differ from that to initial MP treatment, except for one female patient who died from progression of PM/DM (one female patient died from the sequels of oncological disease associated with SLE).