Response to: 'Glucocorticoid withdrawal in lupus: to do or not to do?' by Acharya.

We thank Acharya for her interest in our study showing that in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with a quiescent disease and a stable treatment regimen, for at least 1 year, withdrawal of 5 mg of prednisone was associated with a fourfold increase (ie, 27%), in the risk of flare onset, as defined by the SELENA-SLEDAI flare index and the British Isles Lupus Assessment Group index during a 1-year follow-up.1 2 Acharya states that these findings contrast with those from two previous published studies on the same subject.3 4 The latter studies are, however, not comparable to …