364 Comparison of adverse effects and efficacy of high dose deflazacort versus high dose prednisolone in systemic lupus erythematosus patients- a prospective cohort study

Background and aims Deflazacort (DFZ), oxazoline prednisolone (PDN) derivative, has dose equivalence of 1.2:1 (mg) to PDN. No study has compared adverse effects and efficacy of high doses of DFZ and PDN, in SLE. Aims-To compare adverse effects of high dose DFZ and PDN in SLE patients concerning cushingoid features and body weight changes, 3 and 6 months after initiation. Methods (Figure 1) Outcome parameters for a)Cushingoid features assessed using Cushing’s Severity Index (CSI) b) Hirsuitism with Ferriman Gallaway score c) Weight gain assessed by difference (Δ) of weight (kilograms) during 3 visits. Significant adverse event (SAE) was defined as a)10% increment in weight b)20% increase in scores for hirsuitism and cushing’s indices Results Number of SAEs (mean±SD) in DFZ group were 5.9±6 and 4.8±3.7 as compared to 14.1±7.7 and 9.4±5.5 events in PDN group (p Conclusions DFZ and PDN used in comparable manner in SLE had similar efficacy with significantly lesser weight gain, lesser cushingoid features ( including lesser glycaemic elevation) seen in DFZ group.