T he Karolinska Institute awarded Dr. Philip Hench a Nobel Prize in the 1950s for treating a patient who had rheumatoid arthritis with corticosteroids. In the 1950s, physicians saw corticosteroids as “miracle drugs” that offered dramatic relief for a diverse group of diseases. Physicians saw extraordinary benefits, such as rheumatoid arthritis patients’ throwing away their crutches or resolutio...

C hronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is arguably the most common chronic disease of the lungs at present and, by 2020, it will be the third leading cause of death worldwide. COPD is associated with a relentless decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and, in the later stages, the condition progresses to pulmonary hypertension and hypoxic respiratory failure. Few interven...

Despite the fact that there are only a few controlled trials demonstrating the benefits associated with the use of corticosteroids in specific situations, these agents are administered frequently to patients with advanced cancer. Corticosteroids may be used alone or as adjuvants in combination with other palliative or antineoplastic treatments. For example, corticosteroids may help prevent naus...

BACKGROUND It is unclear whether long-acting beta-agonists with concomitant inhaled corticosteroids increase asthma-related intubations and deaths. We pooled data on long-acting beta-agonists with variable and concomitant inhaled corticosteroids to evaluate the risk for catastrophic asthma events. METHODS We conducted searches of electronic databases, the US Food and Drug Administration websi...

Outline which conditions causing acute respiratory failure benefit from corticosteroids. 1. Describe the studies providing data for efficacy of corticosteroids in these conditions. 2. Determine the biologic rationale for the use of corticosteroids in ARDS. 3. Discern the complications of corticosteroid therapy. 4. Provide recommendations for corticosteroid regimens in treating these conditions ...

BACKGROUND Corticosteroids are widely used in the treatment of idiopathic facial paralysis (Bell's palsy), but the effectiveness of additional treatment with an antiviral agent is uncertain. Significant morbidity can be associated with severe cases of Bell's palsy. OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of antiviral treatments alone or in combination with any other therapy for Bell's palsy. SEARC...

BACKGROUND Patients with 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1pdm09)-related critical illness were frequently treated with systemic corticosteroids. While observational studies have reported significant corticosteroid-associated mortality after adjusting for baseline differences in patients treated with corticosteroids or not, corticosteroids have remained a common treatment in subsequent influenza ou...

OBJECTIVE Vasopressin and corticosteroids are often added to support cardiovascular dysfunction in patients who have septic shock that is nonresponsive to fluid resuscitation and norepinephrine infusion. However, it is unknown whether vasopressin treatment interacts with corticosteroid treatment. DESIGN Post hoc substudy of a multicenter randomized blinded controlled trial of vasopressin vs. ...

Background In 1980’s, several case reports emerged implying that administration of corticosteroids for fetal maturation in pregnancies complicated by HELLP syndrome may be followed by improvement in clinical and laboratory markers. It has been hypothesized that the underlying mechanism for such observations resides in the antiinflammatory and immunosuppressive effects of corticosteroids. Preecl...