Short and long-term effects of high-dose intravenous methylprednisolone pulse therapy on thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy

The majority of previous studies on high-dose intravenous methylprednisolone pulse (IVMP) therapy have observed the clinical conditions of patients prior to and following treatment without any long-term follow-up, and these studies have predominantly focused on combined treatment. The present prospective clinical study aimed to assess the long-term effects and safety of high-dose IVMP therapy in thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO), as well as the significance of thyrotropin receptor antibody (TRAb) and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-l (sICAM-1) during IVMP therapy. A total of 58 patients with TAO were treated with high-dose IVMP therapy, and their clinical characteristics and indices were recorded before, during and after therapy, with a 12–57 month (mean, 28.4 months) follow-up. Before treatment and on the second day after each IVMP therapy, serum TRAb and sICAM-1 levels were evaluated in 23 patients with TAO via a competitive radioimmunoassay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. The results of the present study demonstrated that the symptoms of eyelid swelling, ophthalmodynia, photophobia, lacrimation and diplopia, and visual acuity, ocular motility, proptosis and clinical activity score (CAS) indices were all significantly improved after IVMP therapy. In addition, analysis of covariance demonstrated that alterations in the levels of serum TRAb during the course of treatment were associated with CAS of TAO, whereas the change in serum sICAM-1 was not. In conclusion, high-dose IVMP therapy is an effective, safe, stable and well-tolerated treatment for TAO, which is associated with rare, minor adverse effects. Furthermore, serum TRAb levels are correlated with the CAS of TAO and may serve as a predictor of the response to methylprednisolone therapy.