What are the benefits and side effects of prednisone/prednisolone in boys with DD?
Evidence. Class I studies: therapeutic effects. Seven class I studies (n = 276) have demonstrated that prednisone is beneficial in DD and that 0.75 mg/kg/day is optimal as an initial dosage for boys between 5 and 15 years old (see table E-1 on the Neurology Web site at www.neurology.org). Six of the seven studies involved the vast majority of patients (n = 221) and ranged in duration from 6 to 18 months.24 29 The relatively short duration of treatment in these six studies made the use of endpoints, such as cessation of ambulation or decline in forced vital capacity (FVC), impractical as measures of efficacy. These potential endpoints to evaluate treatment require a few years or longer to reach. The seven class I studies have relied on standardized measurements of muscle strength and function as described below to assess efficacy. Four of the class I trials evaluated the dose response relation, onset of action, and duration of response to daily treatment with prednisone and were perform
