DOI
https://doi.org/10.18849/ve.v4i1.221Abstract
PICO question
In dogs suspected of having steroid responsive meningitis-arteritis (SRMA), how long should immunosuppressive monotherapy with steroids be undertaken in order to achieve clinical resolution without relapse of clinical signs?
Clinical bottom line
Based on the currently available literature, steroid treatment using the protocol outlined in Lowrie et al. (2009) at a gradually tapering dose over a course of 6 months, appeared to lead to clinical remission in all cases, with a disease free post treatment interval of at least 6 months. However, further research is needed as there are currently three published papers with a low number of cases, so a definitive time course cannot be suggested until stronger evidence is available.
References
Tipold, A. and Jaggy, A. (1994) ‘Steroid responsive meningitis‐arteritis in dogs: Long‐term study of 32 cases’, The Journal of small animal practice. Wiley/Blackwell (10.1111), 35(6), pp. 311–316. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-5827.1994.tb03293.x
Cizinauskas, S., Jaggy, A. and Tipold, A. (2000) ‘Long-term treatment of dogs with steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis: clinical, laboratory and therapeutic results’, Journal of Small Animal Practice. Wiley/Blackwell (10.1111), 41(7), pp. 295–301. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-5827.2000.tb03205.x
Lowrie, M., Penderis, J., McLaughlin, M., Eckersall, P. D. and Anderson, T. J. (2009) ‘Steroid Responsive Meningitis-Arteritis: A Prospective Study of Potential Disease Markers, Prednisolone Treatment, and Long-Term Outcome in 20 Dogs (2006–2008)’, Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 23(4), pp. 862–870. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-1676.2009.0337.x
License
Copyright (c) 2019 Richard William Lawn
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Veterinary Evidence uses the Creative Commons copyright Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. That means users are free to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format. Remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially - with the appropriate citation.
