Application of low-dose prednisolone in Duchenne-Becker muscular dystrophy

A special program for long-term application of low-dose prednisolone treatm ent in Duchenne - Becker muscular dystrophy with complex control of the pat ients' state was developed. Three-month cycles of prednisolone treatment al ternated with three-month cycles of placebo during the year. Each patient r eceived 0,5 mg/kg per day of treatment but with taking in account the alter nate days, the daily dose diminished to 0,25 mg/kg/ per day. 50 patients wi th Duchenne - Becker muscular dystrophy participated in this randomized dou ble-blind controlled trial and up to now 3 of them were on the program abou t 1,5 year and 24 of them - about a year. Prelimenary results show some ben eficial effects in the absence of manifest side-effects.