Deflazacort to Prednisone Dose Conversion
6 mg of deflazacort is equivalent to 5 mg of prednisone.
Standard Conversion Ratio
The established conversion ratio between these two corticosteroids is consistently reported across multiple clinical contexts:
- The conversion ratio is 6 mg deflazacort = 5 mg prednisone 1, 2, 3
- This 1.2:1 ratio (deflazacort:prednisone) reflects deflazacort being approximately 0.8 times as potent as prednisone on a milligram-per-milligram basis 2
Clinical Context and Validation
This conversion ratio has been validated across multiple disease states and patient populations:
- In Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the standard dosing is 0.9 mg/kg/day deflazacort versus 0.75 mg/kg/day prednisone, which maintains this approximate 6:5 ratio 1
- In renal transplant patients, conversion from prednisone to deflazacort using the 6:5 ratio maintained adequate immunosuppression without graft dysfunction or acute rejection 3
- In chronic thrombocytopenic purpura, patients were successfully converted using 6 mg deflazacort for each 5 mg prednisone equivalent, maintaining therapeutic efficacy 2
- In chronic sarcoidosis, this conversion ratio was used in long-term treatment (up to 7 years) with equivalent anti-inflammatory activity 4
Important Clinical Considerations
Deflazacort may offer advantages over prednisone at equivalent doses:
- Lower risk of weight gain, making it preferable as first-line therapy when pre-existing weight or behavioral issues are present 1, 5
- Potentially reduced bone mineral loss and lower fracture risk during long-term therapy 4
- Better glucose control in patients with diabetes, particularly post-transplant diabetes 3
- More favorable side effect profile overall, though cataracts may develop more frequently and require annual ophthalmologic monitoring 5
The conversion maintains immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory equivalence across the dose range, though deflazacort may have a slower onset of action (reaching maximum effect at 48 hours versus 24 hours for prednisone in some studies) 6.