Evaluation of conventional therapy versus cyclosporine A in XXXX .

@entity1018 @entity1 @entity625 @entity500 @entity870 @entity272 @entity244 @entity3812
When ocular structures are affected in @entity244 , a rapid @entity1018 has been the rule regardless of the type of treatment--corticosteroids, Leukeran, @entity500 , @entity3812 . The objectives of the present study were to compare, in a masked manner, conventional treatment (corticosteroids/Leukeran) to treatment with CsA. Forty @entity1 suffering from @entity244 with active ocular inflammatory reactions were included in the study. These were randomly assigned to conventional or CsA regimens and were regularly examined by a multidisciplinary group of physicians. The unmasked internist modulated the treatment and recorded systemic manifestations. The masked ophthalmologists recorded the ocular findings without knowledge of the assigned type of treatment. An analysis of the results 3 years after initiation of the study shows that @entity870 is more effective than conventional therapy in decreasing the active ocular inflammatory processes and arresting the deterioration of visual acuity. Regarding the extraocular symptoms, however, conventional therapy is superior to CsA, especially for the control of @entity272 and @entity625 . Side effects were recorded in a much higher incidence among @entity1 receiving CsA. However, tight and constant control of the CsA dosage as performed in this study has, so far, prevented clinical and biochemical nephrotoxic manifestations in @entity1 assigned to this treatment.
