Monthly pulses of methylprednisolone in SLE nephritis

The results of a double-blind trial of pulse methylprednisolone in 9 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and biopsy proven diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis are reviewed. Patients were given 1 g of methylprednisolone or placebo intravenously, on 3 consecutive days, once a month, for 1 year. After 1 year, the methylprednisolone pulse group showed a significant improvement in serum creatinine whereas the placebo group showed none. More than 2 years after completing the study, renal function remained stable in the methylprednisolone group while the placebo group demonstrated significant deterioration in these values. Because of the limited number of patients involved, a concurrent control group was employed to confirm these results.