Corticosteroid

their treatment to avoid these types of problems. Antimalarials are also a commonly used to treat lupus. Plaquenil is used to treat fatigue, some joint pain, inflammation in the lungs and skin rashes. This drug may also prevent future flares ups from reoccurring. Rarely, retinal damage may occur with use of this drug and an upset stomach is a common side effect. Corticosteroids can be both beneficial and extremely detrimental causing stretch marks on the skin, HBP, artery damage, diabetes, osteoporosis, infections and cataracts. Often, the higher the dose administered, the longer the duration of use is which is where the problems can arise. Patients who take corticosteroids should also take calcium and vitamin D supplements to reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis. Another important factor when taking these medications is that they should never be abruptly stopped, a gradual decline in dosing and frequency of administration should be the course for the discontinuation of corticosteroid medications. Prednisone, hydrocortisone, dexamethasone and methylprednisolone are some of the medications in the corticosteroid class drugs used. Immunosuppressives are indicated when the patient’s kidneys or central nervous system has been affected by lupus, drugs such as Cytoxan and Cellcept can be used to slow an overactive immune system and block the immune cell production, lessening the attack and can be administered either by mouth or infusion. Side effects to this treatment include…

Pulmonary sarcoidosis can worsen in what is called acute pulmonary exacerbations of sarcoidosis (APES) with worsening pulmonary dysfunction and pulmonary symptoms developing over a period of a month. This worsening of pulmonary sarcoidosis can occur after the discontinuation of corticosteroid treatment. APES will not resolve on its own and requires restarting corticosteroid treatment. 4 Five percent of patients may die of respiratory insufficiency. 3 Patients with myocardial sarcoidosis may…

Cushing syndrome is a silent disease that hides behind extreme weight gain and a variety of seemingly random symptoms. Its name can change depending on the origin of the illness. Cushing syndrome refers to all patients with the classic symptoms and signs of the condition regardless of the cause, while Cushing disease is reserved for patients in which the signs and symptoms are caused by an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secreting tumor. Of all the patients with spontaneously occurring…

Cushing’s Disease Description Cushing’s Disease is an adrenal gland disease in which there is an excess of the steroid hormone, cortisol, within the body. With Cushing’s Disease the body releases too, much of the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). This disease is rare as it effects 10 to 15 people per million each year. Women and men both can be diagnosed with this disease, but women tend to be affected more than men. The disease can be fatal is not treated correctly and promptly. Etiology…

neurosarcoidosis is facial neuropathy, followed by meningoencephalitis. This patient exhibited accelerated mental status decline over several months. Her response to corticosteroid therapy was dramatic. This case report illustrates the importance of continual diagnostic vigilance in evaluation of dementia with an unusual clinical picture. CASE: A 61 year old Egyptian…

Medication errors happen all the time, unfortunately. “According to a 2006 Institute of Medicine report, at least 1.5 million preventable medication-related adverse events occur in the Unites States every year, but the true number could be much higher” (Adams, S. C., Federwisch, M., & Ramos, H., 2014). The last straw in medication administration is the nurse. It is so important for the nurse to be very observant when administering medications, so that errors do not occur and lead to further…

Medicine is essential during one’s life despite the culture, gender and age. Although these are beneficial to treat a patient’s sickness, there are many cases that the use of drugs are harmful and deleterious for the patient. In 1991, the Havard Medical Practice Study showed that there are multiple patients who are harmed or resulted some negative results after the medication. This medication error ranged from the minor impairment with complete recovery in a short time to death. Moreover, this…

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus or SLE is a complex systemic autoimmune disease characterized by the loss of tolerance to nuclear antigen, immune complex formation and innflammation in multiple organs ( Hagberg and Ronnblom, 2015). This disease is a very confusing disease. Through my research I have found many different things can happen to you once you are found with systemic lupus erythematosus or lupus for short. This disease is very interresting and hard to describe at the same time. You will…

In the treatment of asthma, two drug groups are at the forefront, β2-agonists (like salbutamol) and corticosteroids. Salbutamol is a β2-agonist and a physiological antagonist of bronchoconstriction and is often prescribed in an “as required” manner in the relief of symptoms (Taylor and Hancox, 2000). Salbutamol acts on a g-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) which, through a biochemical intracellular cascade ends with activation of protein kinase A, which then phosphorylates many regulatory proteins…

In arthritis, corticosteroids are prescribed to individuals who need a quick relief from severe episodes, however, it is found that corticosteroids can lead to vitamin D deficiency. Hence, bones can weaken over time due to a decrease in the amount of calcium being absorbed (Arthritis Foundation, 2017). A study investigated the use of corticosteroids and the risk of fractures (Staa, Leufkens, Abenhaim, Zhang, & Cooper, 2005). Subjects were the age of 18 years and older, with 58.6% being females.…