Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0028754 (obesity)
 124,988 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Deflazacort (DFZ) has been proposed as an alternative drug for immunosuppression after renal transplantation (TX), with fewer side effects than conventional glucocorticoids. We investigated renal function, body growth, body fat, and bone mineral density (BMD) after switching from oral methylprednisolone (MPR) to equivalent doses of DFZ 1-9 years after TX in 20 patients aged 5-20 years, selected because of severe adverse effects from previous steroid therapy. At conversion the patients received a mean dose of 7.4 +/- 2.4 mg DFZ/m2 per day. The drug was continued for a mean of 3.7 (1.2-5.5) years. Under DFZ, the glomerular filtration rate dropped slightly (NS). A single rejection episode occurred. Growth velocity significantly improved in the 1st year on DFZ treatment and height standard deviation score (SDS) increased steadily after introduction of DFZ (from -2.64 to -1.96 after 4 years, P = 0.06). However, in 10 prepubertal children the height gain (+0.20 SDS in 2 years on DFZ) was not significant and the overall mean annual growth rate after TX was similar to that in 10 matched prepubertal TX children on continued MPR treatment. Relative obesity, estimated from mean body mass index corrected for height, was reduced from +1.11 SDS at the start of DFZ to +0.71 SDS after 2 years (P = 0.03) and to +0.39 SDS after 4 years (NS). BMD-SDS of the lumbar spine (L2-4) increased after 1 year on DFZ (P = 0.005). In conclusion, DFZ is well tolerated and safe in pediatric patients after TX. It improves relative obesity and bone mineralization. However, body growth is not significantly influenced pre puberty.
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PMID:Experience with deflazacort in children and adolescents after renal transplantation. 1087 83

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is an X-linked, recessively inherited disorder characterized by progressive weakness attributable to the absence of dystrophin expression in muscle. In multiple studies, the chronic administration of corticosteroids slowed the loss of ambulation that develops in mid to late childhood. Corticosteroids, however, frequently produce unacceptable side effects, including Cushingoid appearance and weight gain. Deflazacort, an oxazoline analogue of prednisolone, produces equivalent benefits on muscle with fewer reported Cushingoid side effects. We present a 9-year-old boy with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who developed morbid obesity and subsequent idiopathic intracranial hypertension after 2 years of receiving deflazacort. Although deflazacort is typically thought to produce less obesity than prednisone, severe Cushingoid side effects may occur in some individuals. To our knowledge, this description is the first of idiopathic intracranial hypertension complicating chronic corticosteroid treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
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PMID:Idiopathic intracranial hypertension in a child with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. 2211 6