[Intravenous therapy with methylprednisolone and cyclophosphamide in vasculitis of peripheral nervous system. Evaluation of 8 patients].
The peripheral nervous system is frequently involved in systemic vasculitis and it may be helpful in the disease diagnosis. We report on eight patients: seven women and one man; five white, two black and one yellow; age mean 55.9 years; four had polyarteritis nodosa, one had systemic lupus erythematosus, one had isolated peripheral nerve vasculitis and one had livedoid vasculitis. All of them received endovenous therapy with "pulse" of methylprednisolone (1 g/day/3 days) and cyclophosphamide (1 g/1 day). Five patients improved, two remained unchanged and one died. The neurological improvement occurred after the third or fourth pulse and in the patients who have had a shorter time of disease.
Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Brasil.
A M
AM
Lino
M T
MT
Hirata
A M
AM
Baêta
A M
AM
Tsanaclis
M
M
Scaff
P E
PE
Marchiori
D000368:Aged; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013497:Sural Nerve / Q000473:pathology; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D008775:Methylprednisolone