Use of corticosteroids for multiple sclerosis (MS) as recommended by consultant neurologists of the United Kingdom (n (%))
| Question (number of valid responders/number of expected responders) | Always | Frequently (> 50% of cases) | Sometimes (25-50% of cases) | Occasionally (< 25% of cases) | Never | Missing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (a) Do you recommend/prescribe corticosteroids for acute relapses of MS? (n=209/212) | 6 (3) | 85 (41) | 89 (43) | 28 (13) | 0 (0) | 3 (1) |
| (b) How often do you recommend/prescribe intravenous methylprednisolone for acute relapses of MS? (n=212/212) | 26 (12) | 87 (41) | 63 (30) | 33 (16) | 3 (1) | 0 (0) |
| (c) After a course of iv methylprednisolone, how often do you recommend/prescribe a tapering course of oral corticosteroids? (n=206/209) | 20 (10) | 17 (8) | 12 (6) | 48 (23) | 109 (53) | 3 (1) |
| (d) How often do you recommend oral corticosteroids as the initial treatment for MS relapse (instead of iv methylpredisolone?) (n=212/212) | 4 (2) | 12 (6) | 40 (19) | 101 (48) | 54 (26) | 0 (0) |
| (e) Do you use corticosteroids in chronic MS (not including acute relapse)? (n=211/212) | 0 (0) | 2 (1) | 9 (4) | 85 (40) | 115 (55) | 1 (0.5) |
Note that percentages do not always add up to 100% for questions with missing responses as the valid percentages have been shown.