Table 1

Patient characteristics according to the initial prednisone-equivalent dose of glucocorticoids for treatment of acute GVHD

CharacteristicPrednisone-equivalent dose
1 mg/kg per day2 mg/kg per day
347 386 
Age, y (range) 47 (18-71) 46 (18-72) 
Patient sex, female (%) 151 (44) 169 (44) 
Disease risk, n (%)   
    Standard 178 (51) 194 (50) 
    High 169 (49) 192 (50) 
HLA-mismatch, n (%) 48 (14) 87 (23) 
Donor, n (%)   
    Related 173 (50) 134 (35) 
    Unrelated 174 (50) 252 (65) 
Conditioning, n (%)   
    Myeloablative   
        Bu/Cy 138 (40) 166 (43) 
        Cy/TBI 102 (29) 133 (34) 
        Other 46 (13) 31 (18) 
    Nonmyeloablative 61 (18) 56 (15) 
Median days to therapy after GVHD diagnosis (range) 2 (0-92) 1 (0-77) 
Median days to therapy after transplantation (range) 30 (8-118) 21 (5-114) 
GVHD grade at onset, n (%)   
    I 31 (9) 38 (10) 
    IIa 238 (69) 118 (31) 
    IIb 69 (20) 167 (43) 
    III 9 (3) 62 (16) 
    IV 0 (0) 1 (< 1) 
GVHD organ site involved at onset, n (%)   
    Skin 143 (41) 285 (74) 
    Gut 288 (82) 249 (65) 
    Liver 26 (7) 89 (23) 
    Limited to the skin 54 (16) 106 (27) 
    Limited to the gut 192 (55) 69 (18) 
Biopsy before GVHD treatment, n (%) 328 (95) 303 (79) 
Hospitalized at onset of GVHD treatment, n (%) 164 (47) 268 (69) 
Year of transplantation, n (%)   
    2000 58 (17) 84 (22) 
    2001 50 (14) 87 (23) 
    2002 61 (18) 66 (17) 
    2003 65 (19) 57 (15) 
    2004 61 (18) 52 (13) 
    2005 52 (15) 40 (10) 
Tacrolimus prophylaxis, n (%) 54 (16) 85 (22) 
BDP use, n (%)   
    Never 175 (50) 302 (78) 
    Initiated with systemic therapy 134 (39) 27 (7) 
CharacteristicPrednisone-equivalent dose
1 mg/kg per day2 mg/kg per day
347 386 
Age, y (range) 47 (18-71) 46 (18-72) 
Patient sex, female (%) 151 (44) 169 (44) 
Disease risk, n (%)   
    Standard 178 (51) 194 (50) 
    High 169 (49) 192 (50) 
HLA-mismatch, n (%) 48 (14) 87 (23) 
Donor, n (%)   
    Related 173 (50) 134 (35) 
    Unrelated 174 (50) 252 (65) 
Conditioning, n (%)   
    Myeloablative   
        Bu/Cy 138 (40) 166 (43) 
        Cy/TBI 102 (29) 133 (34) 
        Other 46 (13) 31 (18) 
    Nonmyeloablative 61 (18) 56 (15) 
Median days to therapy after GVHD diagnosis (range) 2 (0-92) 1 (0-77) 
Median days to therapy after transplantation (range) 30 (8-118) 21 (5-114) 
GVHD grade at onset, n (%)   
    I 31 (9) 38 (10) 
    IIa 238 (69) 118 (31) 
    IIb 69 (20) 167 (43) 
    III 9 (3) 62 (16) 
    IV 0 (0) 1 (< 1) 
GVHD organ site involved at onset, n (%)   
    Skin 143 (41) 285 (74) 
    Gut 288 (82) 249 (65) 
    Liver 26 (7) 89 (23) 
    Limited to the skin 54 (16) 106 (27) 
    Limited to the gut 192 (55) 69 (18) 
Biopsy before GVHD treatment, n (%) 328 (95) 303 (79) 
Hospitalized at onset of GVHD treatment, n (%) 164 (47) 268 (69) 
Year of transplantation, n (%)   
    2000 58 (17) 84 (22) 
    2001 50 (14) 87 (23) 
    2002 61 (18) 66 (17) 
    2003 65 (19) 57 (15) 
    2004 61 (18) 52 (13) 
    2005 52 (15) 40 (10) 
Tacrolimus prophylaxis, n (%) 54 (16) 85 (22) 
BDP use, n (%)   
    Never 175 (50) 302 (78) 
    Initiated with systemic therapy 134 (39) 27 (7) 

Bu indicates busulfan; Cy, cyclophosphamide; TBI, total body irradiation; and BDP, beclomethasone diproprionate.

Disease risk: standard refers to aplastic anemia, chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase, myelodysplastic syndromes without excess blasts, and leukemia and lymphoma in remission. High refers to all other hematologic malignancies.

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