Initial corticosteroid (CS) treatment regimens for linear scleroderma clinical vignette. The number of respondents (Resp) who specified a given CS dosing regimen for the clinical vignette of a 4-year-old girl with linear scleroderma of her leg are shown. Treatment durations are in months. The listed initial prednisone doses represent milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) body weight per day. Intravenous methylprednisone (IV MP) was dosed at 30 mg/kg/dose, at infusion frequencies of 1 infusion per month (1/mo), 3 consecutive daily infusions per month (3 days/mo), 1 infusion per week (1/wk), or 3 daily infusions per week (3 days/wk). All 31 respondents who specified combination CS treatment (Comb) would initially treat the patient with IV MP; 24 would also initially treat with prednisone, and the remaining 7 would use prednisone for maintenance treatment.
| Initial CS Dose | No. Resp | No. Prednisone Only | No. IV MP Only | No. Comb | Median Induction Duration | Range of Induction Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No CS | 4 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Prednisone | ||||||
| 0.5 | 11 | 6 | NA | 5 | 2.0 | 1–6 |
| 1 | 28 | 18 | NA | 10 | 1.0 | 1–6 |
| 2 | 18 | 10 | NA | 8 | 1.0 | 0.5–6 |
| QOD | 1 | 0 | NA | 1 | 2.0 | 1 |
| IV MP | ||||||
| 1/mo | 5 | NA | 4 | 1 | 6.0 | 1–6 |
| 3 days/mo | 33 | NA | 28 | 5 | 3.0 | 1–6 |
| 1/wk | 19 | NA | 8 | 11 | 1.0 | 1–2 |
| 3 days/wk | 19 | NA | 4 | 15 | 0.25 | 0.25–3 |
| Overall no., duration, or range | 114 | 34 | 45 | 31 | 2.0 | 0.25–6 |
QOD: every other day dosing; No. Prednisone Only: number of respondents who specified only using the oral form of corticosteroid for treatment; No. IV MP Only: number of respondents who specified only using the intravenous form of corticosteroid for treatment; No. Comb: number of respondents who specified treating with both the intravenous and oral forms of corticosteroid; NA: not applicable.