Extract
Prednisone is the mainstay of sarcoidosis treatment. However, prednisone treatment optimisation is warranted, since prolonged high-dose prednisone therapy is associated with burdensome and harmful side-effects [1, 2]. Early prednisone dose tapering has the potential to reduce side-effects. Gaining insight in the early treatment response can help to determine when tapering could be initiated. To date, there are no prospective studies that look at early treatment response to prednisone in sarcoidosis by monitoring clinical symptoms and daily patient-administered lung function. Therefore, we initiated a multicentre, prospective and observational study with daily home spirometry to detect early steroid treatment effects in newly treated pulmonary sarcoidosis (Dutch National Trial Register NTR4328; www.trialregister.nl/trialreg).
Abstract
The major treatment effect of prednisone on FVC is reached within 2 to 3 weeks in newly treated sarcoidosis patients http://ow.ly/3A3E30h5ZuT
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge patients, research nurses, respiratory function technologists and physicians participating in this study from Erasmus MC, Franciscus Gasthuis & Vlietland, Ikazia hospital, Amphia hospital, Haaglanden Medical Centre and Zuyderland Medical Center Heerlen (all the Netherlands). The authors thank Mirjam van Manen, Linda de Kleer, Frans Mertens and Hadassa de Raaf (Dept of Pulmonary Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands) for technical assistance.
The authors contributed as follows. C.E. Broos, M. Wapenaar, J.C.C.M. in 't Veen, L.M. van den Toorn, M.J.J.H. Grootenboers, R. Heller, L.H.C. Poell, H.C. Hoogsteden, M.S. Wijsenbeek and B. van den Blink contributed to the study concept and design. C.E. Broos, M. Wapenaar, J.C.C.M. in 't Veen, L.M. van den Toorn, M.J.J.H. Grootenboers, R. Heller M.J. Overbeek, R.L. Mostard, L.H.C. Poell, H.C. Hoogsteden, M. Kool, M.S. Wijsenbeek and B. van den Blink, patient recruitment and data collection. C.E. Broos, M. Wapenaar, C.W.N. Looman, M.S. Wijsenbeek and B. van den Blink, data analysis and interpretation. C.E. Broos, M. Wapenaar, C.W.N. Looman, M.S. Wijsenbeek and B. van den Blink, manuscript preparation and manuscript drafting. All authors gave final approval on the manuscript..
Footnotes
Support statement: C.E. Broos was supported by a Travel Award from the ATS PAR member Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research and by a Research enhancement grant from the Dutch sarcoidosis patient foundation (SBN). Funding information for this article has been deposited with the Crossref Funder Registry.
Conflict of interest: None declared.
This study was registered in the Dutch National Trial Register as NTR4328.
- Received August 5, 2017.
- Accepted October 26, 2017.
- Copyright ©ERS 2018