Azathioprine with Prednisone for Polymyositis
Authors: THOMAS W. BUNCH
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1980)

Article1 March 1980Azathioprine with Prednisone for PolymyositisA Controlled, Clinical TrialTHOMAS W. BUNCH, M.D., JOHN W. WORTHINGTON, M.D., JOSEPH J. COMBS, M.D., DUANE M. ILSTRUP, M.S., ANDREW G. ENGEL, M.D.THOMAS W. BUNCH, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, JOHN W. WORTHINGTON, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, JOSEPH J. COMBS, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, DUANE M. ILSTRUP, M.S.Search for more papers by this author, ANDREW G. ENGEL, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-92-3-365 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptA controlled, prospective, double-blind, therapeutic trial of azathioprine was conducted in the initial therapy of polymyositis. Sixteen patients received 60 mg prednisone per day plus either azathioprine (2 mg/kg of body weight per day) or placebo for a period of 3 months. Creatine phosphokinase (CPK) levels fell to normal slightly sooner in the placebo group, but not significantly so. The azathioprine group did not become significantly stronger (P= 0.58) and did not manifest significantly greater improvement of histopathologic features of muscle (P= 0.80) than the placebo group. Initial CPK elevations were significantly related to the degree of muscle inflammation (P= 0.037), but this was not the case at 3 months (P> 0.05). Normalization of the CPK could not be equated with disease control. Type II fiber atrophy, attributed to steroid therapy, was more marked in women than in men (P< 0.03)....References1. MULDER D, WINKELMANN R, LAMBERT E, DIESSNER G, and HOWARD F. Steroid therapy in patients with polymyositis and dermatomyositis. Ann Intern Med. 1963;58:969-76. LinkGoogle Scholar2. 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COMBS, M.D.; DUANE M. ILSTRUP, M.S.; ANDREW G. ENGEL, M.D.Affiliations: Rochester, Minnesota▸From the Departments of Internal Medicine, Statistics, and Neurology, Mayo Clinic; Rochester, Minnesota. 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Long-term followupKlinik entzündlicher rheumatologischer MuskelerkrankungenAzathioprine and Prednisone in PolymyositisWARREN H. GULLEN, M.D.Necrotizing vasculitis 1 March 1980Volume 92, Issue 3Page: 365-369KeywordsAtrophyBody weightCreatineCreatinine phosphokinaseInflammationMusclesNeurologyPolymyositisSteroid therapy ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 March 1980 Copyright & Permissions© 1980 American College of PhysiciansPDF downloadLoading ...