Meta-analysis of methylprednisolone pulse therapy for Graves' ophthalmopathy

Abstract

A meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the efficacy of methylprednisolone pulse therapy for Graves' ophthalmopathy. Eight studies involving 376 patients were included. A higher effective rate was found for patients treated with intravenous glucocorticoids (IVGC) over oral glucocorticoids (OGC) (risk ratio [RR]=1.48; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.18-1.86). The combined IVGC and orbital radiotherapy (OR) was markedly more effective than OGC+OR (RR=1.40; 95% CI=1.11-1.77). IVGC resulted in an obvious reduction of clinical activity score (CAS) compared with OGC, with a weighted mean difference (WMD) of 0.86 (95% CI=0.53-1.18). The WMD for the reduction of the CAS between IVGC+OR and OGC+OR was 0.66 (95% CI=0.30-1.02). IVGC is an effective treatment and cause fewer adverse events. Limiting the total cumulative dose of methylprednisolone, careful patient selection and monitoring the condition of patients during treatment are necessary.