Corticosteroids (or glucocorticosteroids) are widely used to treat various inflammatory and immune diseases. The most common use of corticosteroids today is in the treatment of asthma, and inhaled corticosteroids have become established as first-line treatment in adults and children with persistent asthma, the most common chronic inflammatory disease. Recent developments in understanding the fu...

BACKGROUND Recent analyses have suggested an increased risk for serious asthma-related adverse events in patients receiving long-acting beta-agonists. PURPOSE To examine whether the incidences of severe asthma-related events (hospitalizations, intubations, deaths, and severe exacerbations) differ in persons receiving salmeterol plus inhaled corticosteroids compared with inhaled corticosteroid...

BACKGROUND Corticosteroids, delivered systemically and by inhalation, are widely used for the treatment of multiple acute respiratory illnesses in children. However, the level of evidence to support the utility of this therapy varies between these different acute respiratory illnesses. OBJECTIVE To summarize the evidence regarding the utility of corticosteroids in the management of common acu...

BACKGROUND Adjunctive corticosteroids therapy is an attractive option for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) treatment. However, the effectiveness of adjunctive corticosteroids on mortality of CAP remains inconsistent, especially in severe CAP. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of adjunctive corticosteroids in severe CAP patients. METHODS Three databases of PubM...

BACKGROUND Corticosteroids have been used to mitigate mineralocorticoid-related effects and restore sensitivity to abiraterone acetate. Corticosteroids may also mediate glucocorticoid receptor or mutated androgen receptor activation and adversely influence outcome. OBJECTIVE This post hoc exploratory analysis investigated whether baseline corticosteroids were an independent prognostic factor ...

OBJECTIVES While systemic corticosteroids (SCS) are widely used to prevent relapse in adults with acute asthma discharged from the emergency department, the most effective route of administration is unclear. The objective of this review was to examine the effectiveness of SCS in adults and to identify the most effective route of SCS to preventing relapse. METHODS A search was conducted to ide...

Background and aim: Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is the most common blistering disease in Iran and many other Asian countries with a relatively high incidence and involvement of both skin and mucous membrances in majority of patients. The aim of this study was to assess the opinions of Asian experts on the diagnosis and management of PV. Materials and Methods: A questinnaire-based mailed/emailed sur...

BACKGROUND Asthmatic patients taking low to moderate doses of inhaled topical corticosteroids have been shown to have lower bone density than those taking bronchodilators only. There is little information on bone density in asthmatic patients taking high dose inhaled corticosteroids. METHODS Bone mass was studied in three age matched groups of asthmatic patients. These comprised: 17 asthmatic...

This study aimed to determine whether the changes in practice in the management of asthma since the early 1980s have improved standards (as assessed by higher actual/best function) and reduced the need for oral corticosteroids. All asthmatic outpatients were reviewed in 1980, 1983, 1988/89 and 1993/94. Therapeutic step, defined by suppressive medication alone, actual and best peak expiratory fl...

We have tested the effect of physiological increases in plasma corticosteroids in conscious dogs on the levels of basal and hypoglycemia-stimulated adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) 2 h later. Increases in plasma corticosteroids, produced by infusion of alpha-1-24 ACTH or corticosteroids for 40 min, suppressed basal and stimulated ACTH levels. The magnitude of inhibition produced by an increas...