Abstract
The Rheumatic Fever Working Party of National Hospital was founded to study the effect of the steroid hormon on rheumatic fever since 1962.
During past three years, 128 children under the age of 16 were admitted to the trial in 27 national hospitals. These patients were devided into four treatment groups under investigation.
Dosage schedules.
A) Short-term hormon therapy:
41 cases; daily dosage of Betamethasone 8mg for the first 4 days, 6.5mg for the following 3 days for whose weighing 30kg or more.
Daily dosage of 0.25per kg of body weight for whose weighing less than 30kg for the first 4 days. 0.2mg per kg of body weight for the following 3 days.
B) Long-term hormon therapy:
I) 17 cases; initial Betametl atone 0.2mg or more per kg of body weight for the 2-4 weeks or more.
II) 46 cases; initial dosage etamethasone 0.1-0.2mg per kg of body weight for the 2-4 weeks or more.
III) 24 cases; initial dosage Betamethasone less than 0.1mg per kg of body weight for the 2-4 weeks or more.
Each method of long term-therapy was followed by a tapering off during the next for the 12 weeks or more, after initial dosage, untill the result of non-specific laboratory tests return to normal.
Patients were divided into three groups according to the length of time of disease, that is the period from the date of onset to the date at which therapy began. These three duration-from-onset groups were (1) 2 weeks or less, (2) 2-6 weeks and (3) 6 weeks and more.
The result of treament were measured in relation to separate manifestation of the disease-namely: temperature, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C R P, joint involvement, such aspects of the status of the heart as heart size, murmur and atrioventricular conduction time.
There were no evidence that any of .the four treatments resulted in uniform termination of the disease.
Side effects and serious untoward reaction are rarely encountered with short-term steroid therapy.
Short-term therapy was recommended from the point of view of side effects.
