title: Corticosteroid therapy of intrathoracic sarcoidosis stages I and II--results of a controlled clinical trial.
abstract: It is difficult to evaluate the efficacy of sarcoidosis therapy. There are high rates of spontaneous remission, frequently pushing course and tendency to relapses after treatment. 280 patients with histologically confirmed mediastino-pulmonary sarcoidosis in stage I and II without extrapulmonary manifestations have been admitted until now in a controlled clinical trial. More than 150 of them have been analysed after a follow-up of 3 to 5 years, in 40 cases already to 7 years. The patients have been treated by prednisolone and isoniazide for six and 12 months respectively and compared with a non-treated control group. 6 and 12 months after the start of observation X-ray regression has been more often observed in the treated than in the non-treated patients. However, the results after 3 and 5 years were nearly similar in all groups: improvement in 75% and complete resolution in 60% respectively. It seems to us therefore that prednisolone shows only an effect on the early stage of sarcoidosis but is without any influence on the late X-ray results. In consequence corticosteroid therapy is clearly indicated only in patients with progressive course of the disease.
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007538:Isoniazid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D008477:Mediastinal Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011379:Prognosis; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000145:classification / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D011239:Prednisolone; D007538:Isoniazid