Corticosteroid Use and Lupus

Using the most recent analysis from the lupus study, senior author Michelle Petri, MD, director of the Hopkins Lupus Center at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and her colleagues identified a risk of organ damage associated with exposure to high doses of prednisone (7.5 mg per day or more) over time. However, the researchers also found that a reduction of as little as 1 mg per day in the average prednisone dose reduced the estimated risk of future organ damage by 3%. Further research in this area will help us better understand the long-term benefits gained from treatments, many currently in development, that allow people with lupus to reduce the amount of corticosteroid they take. http://www.lupus.org/research-news/entry/corticosteroid-use-and-lupus?utm_source=Newsletter+4-7-15&utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_medium=email