Comment
Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
Prednisone is used for conditions like arthritis, blood cell disorders, lupus, and more. It can also treat inflammatory bowel conditions like ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Other uses of prednisone include treating leukemia, lymphoma, psoriasis, and tuberculosis. Prednisone is a type of steroid medication that can treat diseases caused by inflammation or an overactive immune system. Your doctor may prescribe you prednisone for many different conditions, including arthritis, blood cell disorders, and some skin diseases. Here's what you need to know about how prednisone works and what conditions it's used for. How prednisone worksPrednisone is a man-made version of cortisol, a hormone that influences your immune system. It works by slowing down the production of cytokine proteins that cause inflammation — where your immune system sends extra white blood cells to certain areas of your body to fight off invaders like viruses and bacteria.When you take a steroid like prednisone, "your immune system is hindered and cannot mount a full immune response," says Yana Puckett, MD, a surgical oncologist at West Virginia University School of Medicine.This is an important way to treat autoimmune disorders, in which your immune system overreacts and starts attacking your own cells.Prednisone usually comes as a pill and you'll need a prescription from your doctor to get it. Here are five of the common conditions that can be treated with prednisone.1. ArthritisRheumatoid arthritis occurs when your immune system attacks the tissues in your joints, causing inflammation — this leads to pain, stiffness, and swelling.Prednisone can help ease painful symptoms and bring down swelling by reducing the cytokine proteins causing inflammation.Studies show that prednisone can also help slow down joint damage caused by rheumatoid arthritis.2. Skin diseasesCertain skin disorders send your skin's immune system into overdrive. "This results in over-production of inflammatory markers that make the skin red, inflamed, peel, and hurt," Puckett says.Prednisone can fight these symptoms by decreasing the pro-inflammatory proteins produced in your cells, says Puckett.Some of the most common skin disorders treated by prednisone include:Severe eczemaRashes caused by sarcoidosisLichen planus3. LupusLupus is an autoimmune condition in which your immune system attacks various areas of your body, including your skin, joints, mouth, and brain. This can cause a variety of symptoms like rashes, headaches, and mouth ulcers.Prednisone is often prescribed to treat lupus, as it can bring down many inflammation symptoms and help prevent your immune system from damaging your body's tissues.Prednisone can cause
Add Comment