Effect of Intermittent High Dose Parenteral Corticosteroids on the Alveolitis of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis1,2

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Abstract
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive, fatal disorder in which chronic accumulation of neutrophils within the alveolar structures occurs. These cells with their large stores of preformed mediators likely play a major role in subsequent lung derangement. To evaluate the adjunctive use of intermittent high dose “pulse” corticosteroid therapy as a means of inhibiting neutrophil accumulation in the IPF lung, 5 patients were treated in a single blind random fashion with "high dose" corticosteroids (2 g methylprednisolone given intravenously once a week plus 0.25 mg/kg prednisone given orally daily) and 8 patients were treated with “low dose” corticosteroids only (0.25 mg/kg prednisone given orally daily). All patients had biopsy-proved disease in midcourse, and the 2 groups were matched for clinical and physiologic criteria. To evaluate the effect of these therapies on the quantity of neutrophils in the lungs of these patients, both groups underwent bronchoalveolar lavage and 67Ga scanning at th...