Corticosteroid News and Research

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Corticosteroids are any steroid hormones made in the adrenal cortex (the outer part of the adrenal gland). They are also made in the laboratory. Corticosteroids have many different effects in the body, and are used to treat many different conditions. They may be used as hormone replacement, to suppress the immune system, and to treat some side effects of cancer and its treatment. Corticosteroids are also used to treat certain lymphomas and lymphoid leukemias.

Short course of corticosteroids after asthma attack beneficial

Giving patients a short course of corticosteroids after they have been discharged from hospital for an asthma attack reduces the chances of a relapse, a Cochrane Systematic Review has found. Giving the steroids also reduces their use of inhalers.

18 Jul 2007

COPD patients taking inhaled steroids are at greater risk for severe pneumonia

Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are increasingly being prescribed inhaled corticosteroids to control exacerbations of the disease, but a new study finds that the anti-inflammatory drugs increase the chances that these patients will be hospitalized for pneumonia.

17 Jul 2007

Using repeated courses of steroids for preterm birth questioned

Researchers in this week's BMJ question whether giving repeated courses of steroid drugs to mothers at risk of preterm delivery is based on sound evidence.

13 Jul 2007

Exercise reduces inflammation

Although a number of studies have suggested that regular exercise reduces inflammation a condition that is predictive of cardiovascular and other diseases, such as diabetes it is still not clear whether there is a definitive link.

9 Jul 2007

Leading-edge treatment for Crohn's disease at Pediatric Infusion Center

Seventeen-year-old Eliot Drieband explains what it's like to have Crohn's disease - a type of inflammatory bowel disease - in the same matter-of-fact way she describes preparing for an advanced placement exam, working on the school newspaper, starting an organ donor awareness club for teens and being a peer counselor for other kids facing chronic, life-altering illnesses.

9 Jul 2007

SYMBICORT now available in the U.S. for asthma

AstraZeneca has announced today that SYMBICORT (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) pressurized metered dose inhaler (pMDI) is now available in the United States for the long-term maintenance treatment of asthma in patients 12 years of age and older.

26 Jun 2007

Children as young as 11 use drugs to win at sport

According to French researchers athletes as young as eleven admit to using drugs to enhance their sporting performance.

21 Jun 2007

Many kids using performance enhancing drugs in sport

More than one per cent of eleven year olds admit using performance enhancing drugs to do better in sports reports a study published online ahead of print in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

20 Jun 2007

Colitis symptoms 27 years later

The unusual case of a woman whose symptoms of colitis emerged 27 years after she left the country in which she was infected is detailed in a Case Report in the Lancet.

17 Jun 2007

breakthrough in the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary haemosiderosis

Researchers at Queen Mary University London and the University of Leicester and have announced a potential breakthrough in the treatment of a rare but devastating medical condition that can affect children and young people.

5 Jun 2007

Breakthrough in idiopathic pulmonary haemosiderosis

3 Jun 2007

FDA approves Norditropin for short stature in children with Noonan syndrome

Novo Nordisk has announced that Norditropin (somatropin[rDNA origin] injection) received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the treatment of short stature in children with Noonan syndrome.

3 Jun 2007

New method predicts hip joint decay from chemotherapy

St. Jude investigators say they have found the best way for predicting when patients will need future surgery to repair hip joints that have deteriorated because of pediatric leukemia or lymphoma treatment.

27 May 2007

Long-term ulcerative colitis study shows Remicade responders maintained improvement

Findings presented at Digestive Disease Week 2007 (DDW), from long-term extensions of the ACT trials (Active Ulcerative Colitis 1 & 2) show that subjects with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) who had responded to REMICADE (infliximab) in the blinded phase of the trials maintained improvement in their clinical symptoms for up to two years.

24 May 2007

Some children are genetically less responsive to inhaled steroids for asthma

Some children may not be able to keep their asthma under control even if they consistently report using inhaled corticosteroids, a mainstay of asthma treatment, suggests a new study presented at the American Thoracic Society 2007 International Conference, on Wednesday, May 23.

24 May 2007

SYMBICORT trial shows improved quality of life with asthma

New data demonstrated that the combination asthma therapy, SYMBICORT (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate), led to significant improvements in health-related quality of life (HRQL) and greater patient-reported satisfaction with asthma treatment, versus its monocomponents (budesonide or formoterol) or placebo.

24 May 2007

Drug treatment slows decline in lung function in COPD patients

Treatment with a commonly used drug slows the decline in lung function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to results from the TORCH (TOwards a Revolution in COPD Health) study presented at the American Thoracic Society 2007 International Conference, on Tuesday, May 22.

22 May 2007

Good news for for people with mild, persistent asthma

People with mild asthma that is well-controlled with twice-daily use of inhaled steroids may be able to reduce inhaler use to once a day, or switch to a daily pill, according to new research conducted at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and 20 other centers.

17 May 2007

ACE inhibitors help preserve kidney function in IgA nephropathy

For young patients with the kidney disease IgA nephropathy (IgAN), early treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors can reduce the long-term risk of irreversible kidney damage, suggests a study in the June Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

17 May 2007

Mild asthma can be controlled with once-a-day treatment

According to new research, for some people suffering from mild asthma which is controlled with twice-daily use of inhaled steroids, once a day may be enough.

16 May 2007