Prednisone is a so-called glucocorticoid, a steroid hormone that is produced in the human body itself. It is widely used in medicine because it has an anti-inflammatory effect and suppresses immune system reactions. It has been known in medical circles since as early as the 1950s.
What is prednisone?
Prednisone is widely used in medicine because it has an anti-inflammatory effect and suppresses immune system reactions. The term prednisone refers to a so-called glucocorticoid. This is a steroid hormone that is produced in the adrenal cortex. In the liver, the substance can also be converted into prednisolone, which has active metabolic properties. Prednisone has been used in medicine since the 1950s and is used for a variety of purposes. Almost any disease involving the immune system can be treated with prednisone. Sustained and/or highly concentrated use of the substance leads to rapid dependence of the body, so that a slow withdrawal must then take place, which may last several weeks. Abrupt withdrawal can lead to life-threatening conditions in some circumstances.
Pharmacological effects
Prednisone can perform different tasks in the body. In the adrenal cortex, not only is the steroid hormone itself produced, but also cortisol, which is needed for numerous metabolic processes. If the body lacks cortisol or its production is limited, prednisone can substitute for it. This usually requires additional doses of prednisone-containing drugs; however, the substance is usually in low doses for these purposes. Higher doses of prednisone act as an anti-inflammatory in the body and can also, with some delay, suppress the immune system. In doing so, it protects already damaged tissue from invasion by the inflammatory pathogens. At the same time, it prevents the immune cells from releasing substances that lead to the typical immune reactions. Thus, inflammatory reactions can be prevented or significantly weakened after their occurrence. In the case of a respiratory disease, prednisone suppresses the accumulation of water (edema) in the mucous membranes, which leads to a widening of the bronchial entrance and a reduction in the production of mucus and thus to an alleviation of the symptoms. When an allergy occurs, the body’s usual violent reaction to the allergen is also significantly lessened by prednisone, resulting in much weaker symptoms.
Medical use and application
In medicine, prednisone is used to treat many different diseases. Basically, it can be used for all diseases and conditions in which the immune system is involved or in which there are usually inflammatory reactions that should be prevented. Thus, the use of prednisone is also useful after an organ transplant, for example, as it can prevent rejection of the foreign organ. Allergies, inflammatory reactions that are not triggered by viruses or bacteria, rheumatic diseases and respiratory diseases such as chronic bronchitis are usually treated with prednisone. More severe diseases such as liver and kidney inflammation, multiple sclerosis, pneumonia or leukemia also often respond well to therapy with prednisone. This also applies to diseases involving the muscles or nervous system, such as fibromyalgia or autoimmune diseases like myasthenia gravis. The administration of lower doses of prednisone is also useful in cases of loss of appetite, nausea, or, for example, the presence of anorexia (especially if these complaints are due to cancer, for example), because of its mode of action on the gastrointestinal tract.
Risks and side effects
Long-term and/or high-dose use of prednisone can result in various side effects. The most common include osteoporosis, sugar metabolism disorders, headache, and increased risk of infection. External use of prednisone may cause skin changes, especially increased sensitivity of the skin and color changes. Very prolonged use may result in complete loss of function of the adrenal cortex. Due to the severity of some possible side effects, prednisone should be administered only under observation and only when actually necessary.A therapy with prednisone must always be terminated slowly (“creeping”), as otherwise the adrenal cortex cannot resume its function optimally. In the worst case, this can lead to a life-threatening condition, which must be avoided at all costs.
