Are high doses of prednisone necessary for treatment of interstitial lung disease in systemic sclerosis?

Introduction: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) as part of systemic sclerosis (SS) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality.

Objectives: To evaluate the use of intravenous pulse cyclophosphamide combined with low and high doses of prednisone in the treatment of ILD in SS is equally effective.

Method: An experimental, exploratory and randomized single-blind clinical trial was conducted at Hermanos Ameijeiras Clinical Surgical Hospital from September 2006 to December 2009, including 23 patients with SS and ILD.