Historical Use of Intramuscular Methylprednisolone for Minimal Change Disease in the 1960s
There is no evidence that intramuscular methylprednisolone was used to treat minimal change disease in the 1960s. The available literature shows that oral corticosteroids (prednisone/prednisolone) were the standard treatment during that era, and intramuscular methylprednisolone formulations for nephrotic syndrome emerged in clinical research much later.
Historical Context of Corticosteroid Use
Oral corticosteroids became the foundation of minimal change disease treatment in the 1960s-1970s – Studies from this period established that corticosteroid-responsive minimal change disease (MCD) was the most frequent diagnosis in idiopathic nephrotic syndrome patients, leading to the widespread adoption of oral prednisone/prednisolone as first-line therapy 1
The therapeutic response to corticosteroids approach was validated in the 1960s-1970s – Complete remission in response to oral corticosteroids became the standard indicator of satisfactory long-term outcomes in pediatric nephrotic syndrome patients based on research conducted during this time period 1
Evolution of Methylprednisolone Routes
Intravenous methylprednisolone pulse therapy emerged in the 1980s – A 1983 study compared intravenous methylprednisolone pulses (20 mg/kg/day for three consecutive days) with conventional oral prednisone in adult patients with first episodes of minimal change nephrotic syndrome, indicating this was a novel approach at that time rather than an established 1960s practice 2
Intramuscular methylprednisolone for rheumatic conditions appeared in modern guidelines – The 2015 EULAR/ACR polymyalgia rheumatica recommendations describe intramuscular methylprednisolone (120 mg every 3 weeks) as an alternative to oral glucocorticoids, but this represents contemporary practice rather than historical 1960s usage 3
Standard 1960s-Era Treatment Protocol
- Oral prednisone/prednisolone at 2 mg/kg/day (maximum 60 mg) for 4-6 weeks was the established regimen – This dosing schedule, followed by alternate-day therapy for another 4-6 weeks, became the standard initial treatment for childhood nephrotic syndrome based on the foundational studies from the 1960s-1970s era 1