PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF ADVERSE-EFFECTS OF CORTICOSTEROIDS IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS

Corticosteroid therapy has had a major impact on improvement in diseas e activity and long-term survival in patients with systemic lupus eryt hematosus (SLE). Unfortunately, the therapeutic advantages are accompa nied by many manifestations of toxicity, some of which are short term and potentially reversible, while others cause chronic irreversible da mage. Many of these features of toxicity have similar presentations to manifestations of SLE disease activity, and must be distinguished in the individual patient. The features of corticosteroid toxicity are re viewed in this chapter, and means of prevention and/or treatment are d iscussed.