Glucocorticoids and their Influence on Allergy Testing

Glucocorticoids are used commonly in many different areas of veterinary medicine. They are necessary drugs in many situations, but should always be used advisedly and with the right dosage. However, you should always be aware of their effects, their side effects to the animal body and their strong influence on laboratory examinations, which we will cover in this edition of the LABOKLIN Aktuell. In the table below are listed different duration times of various Glucocorticoids. Short acting means <12h, intermediate acting means 1236h and long acting means >36h. The long term effect of cortisone depends on combination of the base and the ester of the steroid, like the long acting glucocorticoids Paramethasone, Betamethasone and Dexamethasone, which duration time lies clearly over 36 hours.