Prednisolone, prednisone or another corticosteroid could be indicated for very manyfold types of diseases. Diseases of the connective tissue (chronic polyarthritis, disseminated lupus erythematosus, polymyositis, polymyalgia rheumatica, temporal[-cranial] arteritis, Wegener's granulomatosis), bronchial asthma, diseases of the liver and the gastrointestinal tract (chronic active hepatitis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease), renal diseases (glomerulonephritis, nephrotic syndrome), different hematologic diseases (e.g. leukemia, lymphoma, thrombocytopenic purpura), sarcoidosis, inflammatory ocular diseases, and hypercalcemia of different origins respond to glucocorticoids. Prednisolone can also be beneficial against other malignancies in combination with cytostatics, as an immunosuppressive agent following transplantations, as well as an adjuvant for severe infections (e.g. tuberculosis).

As a rule, high dose steroid therapy is only of short duration (corticoid 'pulse'); if a long-term treatment is necessary, prednisolone doses should be kept below 10 mg daily.

In emergencies, prednisolone can also be administered intravenously; furthermore, different topical applications are possible (on the eye, on the skin, intra-articular).

Table of Contents | Pharmacology | Adverse Reactions & Interactions | Contraindications & Cautions | Risk Groups | References