Prolonged fatigue, poor appetite and exhaustion, an 87-year-old man was taken by his family to People's Hospital 115 for examination. Through examination, doctors discovered that the patient had signs of Cushing's syndrome accompanied by chronic adrenal insufficiency, a cause related to the use of pain relievers of unknown origin for a long time.
According to family members, due to body aches, the old man bought pain relievers himself to drink because he felt better quickly. The medicine was used continuously for a long time without clear ingredients. When admitted to the hospital, the patient had many abnormal symptoms such as red round face, accumulated fat in the neck area, thin and easily bruised skin, and depleted body.
After examination and necessary tests, doctors of the Endocrinology Department of People's Hospital 115 determined that the patient had signs of Cushing's syndrome accompanied by chronic adrenal insufficiency due to prolonged use of corticosteroids. The patient was treated according to the protocol and his health condition gradually improved, but long-term monitoring is still needed.
Dr. Nguyen Thi My Hanh, Department of Endocrinology, People's Hospital 115, said that corticosteroids are a group of drugs with strong anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects, often indicated in the treatment of many diseases such as bronchial asthma, allergies, joint diseases or some autoimmune diseases. However, if used improperly or for a long time, it can cause many serious complications.
According to doctors, many pain relievers, "family-inherited" medicines or products of unknown origin may contain corticosteroids. When used for a long time, the body may have dysfunction of the adrenal glands, leading to chronic adrenal insufficiency.
Signs suggesting corticoid abuse include changes in appearance such as red round face, fat accumulation in the neck area, increased abdominal fat but atrophy of limbs; thin skin, easy bruising or stretch marks; high blood pressure, high blood sugar, osteoporosis; accompanied by prolonged fatigue, dizziness or nausea.
Dr. My Hanh recommends that people should only use corticosteroids when prescribed by a doctor and need to be re-examined according to the appointment schedule. Patients should not arbitrarily stop taking medication if they have used it for a long time, and avoid using drugs without labels or ingredients unknown.
When abnormal health signs appear or people are taking medicine for a long time but the ingredients are unknown, people should go to a medical facility for examination and timely advice, in order to limit the risk of dangerous complications.
