We have conducted a double-blind, randomized, multicentric trial in 18 Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) boys, whose age ranged from 5.2 to 14.6 years (mean 7.3 yrs) for treatment with either deflazacort (0.9 mg/kg/day) or prednisone (0.75 mg/kg/day). To reduce side effects after one year the treatment schedule was switched to an alternate day regimen. The two groups were randomized and stratif...

OBJECTIVE To update the 2005 American Academy of Neurology (AAN) guideline on corticosteroid treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). METHODS We systematically reviewed the literature from January 2004 to July 2014 using the AAN classification scheme for therapeutic articles and predicated recommendations on the strength of the evidence. RESULTS Thirty-four studies met inclusion crit...

We have previously demonstrated that gene therapy can rescue the phenotype and extend lifespan in the delta-sarcoglycan deficient cardiomyopathic hamster. In patients with similar genetic defects, steroids have been largely used to slow down disease progression. Aim of our study was to evaluate the combined effects of steroid treatment and gene therapy on cardiac function. We injected the human...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the long term efficacy and tolerability of deflazacort, a corticosteroid reputed to have only minor side effects, in the treatment of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). METHODS In a prospective open study, deflazacort was administered at an average initial dose of 21.8 mg/day for a mean period of 19 months in 40 patients with PMR. RESULTS A highly significant improvement o...

Objective Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a degenerative disease that usually becomes clinically detectable in childhood as progressive proximal weakness. No cure is yet available for DMD, but the use of steroids improves muscle strength and function. This study has been carried out to select the best steroid for the management of DMD. Materials & Methods This study is a single-blind, rand...

BACKGROUND Corticosteroids are the main therapy of nephrotic syndrome and goal of corticosteroid therapy is to obtain maximum clinical benefit with minimum adverse effects. Children are more vulnerable to side effects of corticosteroids related to growth and adrenal suppression, so a search for an alternative steroid with fewer side-effects is underway. Deflazacort is an oxazoline derivative an...

OBJECTIVE Extracellular fibrinolysis, controlled by the cell-associated fibrinolytic system (urokinase plasminogen activator, uPA; uPA receptor, uPAR; plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1, PAI-1), is involved in cartilage damage generation and in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovitis. Since steroids reduce the rate of radiological progression of RA, we planned to evaluate in healthy and RA syno...

Background: Medical Expulsive Therapy (MET) has become an established part of the protocol for treatment of ureteric stones of less than 5 mm size in the lower 1/3rd of the ureter. Drugs like calcium channel blockers and α-1 adrenergic blockers with or without corticosteroid along with hydration have been used to facilitate expulsion of stones. Aims & Objective: In this study effectiveness of α...

how to cite this article: karimzadeh p, ghazavi a. comparison of deflazacort and prednisone in duchenne muscular dystrophy. iranianjournal of child neurology 2012;6(1):5-12. objective duchenne muscular dystrophy (dmd) is a degenerative disease that usually becomes clinically detectable in childhood as progressive proximal weakness. no cure is yet available for dmd, but the use of steroids impro...

Steroids have been used since two decades and several trials were conducted to establish their efficacy in DMD patients with various regimens. The clinical outcomes showed increased function in the treated boys, and in a single trial with deflazacort, prolongation of ambulation but with different side effects. Steroids clinical efficacy is now established. The main concern is to increase steroi...