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Oral Corticosteroids

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Medical Immunology

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Synonyms

Glucocorticoids; Oral steroids; Systemic corticosteroids

Definition

Corticosteroids are hormones secreted by the adrenal cortex or are synthetic analogs of these hormones. They are typically classified as glucocorticoids or mineralocorticoids. Glucocorticoids are widely used for the suppression of inflammation in patients with inflammatory, allergic, immunological disorders, all of which are associated with increased expression of inflammatory genes (Barnes 1998). They are further classified based on their potency and duration of action (Table 1). A short course (5–7 days) of oral corticosteroids may be warranted in the setting of allergies for cases of severe or intractable nasal symptoms of allergic rhinitis and nasal obstruction (Scadding et al. 2008).

Oral Corticosteroids, Table 1 Relative potencies of glucocorticoids: adapted with permission from McGraw-Hill
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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tampa General Hospital, 1 Tampa General Circle, Tampa, FL, 33601, USA

    Enji Nakhla

  2. Department of Pharmacotherapeutics and Clinical Research, University of South Florida, College of Pharmacy, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., MDC 30, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA

    Shyam Gelot

Authors
  1. Enji Nakhla
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  2. Shyam Gelot
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Enji Nakhla .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia

    Ian R. Mackay

  2. Center for Autoimmune Disease Research, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Noel R. Rose

  3. Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, Tampa, FL, USA

    Dennis K. Ledford

  4. Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, Tampa, FL, USA

    Richard F. Lockey

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Nakhla, E., Gelot, S. (2014). Oral Corticosteroids. In: Mackay, I.R., Rose, N.R., Ledford, D.K., Lockey, R.F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Medical Immunology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9194-1_558

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9194-1_558

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-9193-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-9194-1

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