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The Wrath of Steroids in Elderly Patients with Pulmonary Diseases

  • Pulmonology and Respiratory Care (A Musani and E Folch, Section Editors)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Pulmonary diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and asthma are common in the elderly population. Corticosteroids, systemic and inhaled, are commonly used in their treatment. There are many adverse effects associated with corticosteroid treatment. These include cataracts, osteoporosis, diabetes mellitus, and delirium, which are more common and more dangerous in the elderly population.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge that assistance of H Raff PhD in guiding the creation of this manuscript.

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  1. Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics/Gerontology, Medical College of Wisconsin, 9200 W. Wisconsin Ave, Cancer Center, Suite 5220, Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA

    Angela K. Beckert & Edmund H. Duthie

  2. Clement J Zablocki VAMC, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    Angela K. Beckert & Edmund H. Duthie

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  1. Angela K. Beckert
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Correspondence to Angela K. Beckert.

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Angela Beckert declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Edmund Duthie reports grants from Reynolds Foundation, Health Services Resources Administration, Elsevier, and the American Board of Internal Medicine.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Pulmonology and Respiratory Care

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Beckert, A.K., Duthie, E.H. The Wrath of Steroids in Elderly Patients with Pulmonary Diseases. Curr Geri Rep 5, 124–131 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13670-016-0171-z

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