In fact, corticosteroids are used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, allergies and many other conditions or are also used to prevent organ rejection in transplant recipients. How to help suppress the immune system…
However, many patients arbitrarily use corticosteroids that are easily purchased at pharmacies, or spread traditional herbal medicines in powder form without a doctor's prescription.
When patients use high doses of corticosteroids for a long time, the result will be adrenal insufficiency (adrenal dysfunction).
Symptoms suggesting adrenal insufficiency are often atypical such as anorexia, nausea and weight loss, changes in body shape, and facial heaviness. Some severe cases can cause acute adrenal insufficiency with hypotension, which can lead to death if corticosteroids are not treated promptly.
To minimize the side effects of corticosteroids, it is necessary to follow some principles such as only using corticosteroids as prescribed by your doctor, closely monitoring to prevent and early detect signs of side effects, and using the right amount. just enough to control the disease, do not arbitrarily increase the dose without your doctor's permission...
Dr. Nguyen Quang Bay - Head of the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Bach Mai Hospital - shared that corticosteroid drugs are a group of anti-inflammatory, strong analgesic, anti-allergic, immunosuppressive drugs; Applied in the treatment of many different specialties: Joints, allergies, kidneys, respiratory...
Besides the benefits it brings, it can also cause many adverse side effects: diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis, Cushingoid phenotype changes, adrenal insufficiency if abused.
In Vietnam today, patients can easily buy this group of drugs even without a doctor's prescription, and the patient's poor ability to comply with treatment makes the abuse of this group of drugs even more worrying.
Dr. Nguyen Quang Bay said that the most dangerous side effect of corticosteroid abuse is drug-induced adrenal insufficiency, with symptoms of frequent fatigue, low blood pressure, possibly hypotension and there have been cases of death.
The drug is abused by "word of mouth" to treat diseases such as pharyngitis, allergic rhinitis, dermatitis, back pain, gout, osteoarthritis, pneumonia, asthma... in the form of topical application, inhalation, oral and injectable... The use of corticosteroids is like a double-edged sword.
