1. Managing Corticosteroid-Related Comorbidities in Severe Asthma
- Author
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Linda Rogers, Vidushi Sood, and Sandhya Khurana
- Subjects
Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine ,Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System ,medicine.medical_specialty ,FRAX ,Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ,medicine.drug_class ,Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Adrenal Cortex Hormones ,Adrenal insufficiency ,medicine ,Steroid-induced osteoporosis ,Humans ,Endocrine system ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Intensive care medicine ,Asthma ,Glycemic ,Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ,business.industry ,medicine.disease ,030228 respiratory system ,Corticosteroid ,Risk Adjustment ,Steroid dependent asthma ,Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine ,business - Abstract
Oral corticosteroid (OCS) use in severe asthma remains all too common despite advances in asthma treatment. Use of OCS is associated with significant toxicity that can have a lasting adverse impact on a patient's overall health. Monoclonal antibodies have been developed that reduce both the rate of occurrence of OCS-treated exacerbations and the OCS requirements in patients with oral corticosteroid-dependent asthma. This article describes strategies to prevent and best manage endocrine complications associated with OCS use and provides guidance on OCS dose management after the introduction of steroid-sparing therapies. (1) We identify OCS-dependent patients and assess for comorbidities including bone health, glycemic control, and adrenal function; (2) we begin attempts at OCS dose optimization before or soon after introducing a steroid-sparing biologic therapy; (3) we taper OCS, using explicit criteria for asthma control; (4) we assess hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis integrity once a physiologic dose of OCS is achieved to guide further the rate of OCS taper; and (5) we manage corticosteroid-related comorbidities as detailed in this article.
- Published
- 2021
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