Detailed explanation in one article: Things to note during hormone use

The correct and reasonable use of glucocorticoids is the key to improving the therapeutic effect and reducing its adverse reactions. The correct and reasonable use of glucocorticoids mainly depends on the following three aspects: first, whether the treatment indications are accurately grasped; second, whether the type and route of administration are correctly and reasonably selected; third, whether the medication principles are followed during use.

1. Master the indications

The most important thing in the treatment of glucocorticoids is to avoid abuse. Glucocorticoids are a class of drugs with a wide range of clinical indications. However, in actual use, it is common that the medication is not strictly administered according to the indications. For example, some patients use glucocorticoids simply for the purpose of reducing fever and relieving pain because of fever or joint pain, which to a certain extent causes the abuse of hormones. In kidney diseases, it is mainly suitable for immune-inflammatory mediated kidney disease, progressive kidney disease, and pathologically confirmed active kidney lesions.

2. Pre-medication type, dose, course of treatment and route selection

Glucocorticoids have a wide range of applications and have therapeutic value in a variety of disease populations. Therefore, when applying hormones, we cannot generalize, and we must take into account the principle of individualized treatment that varies from person to person and from disease to disease. The type of treatment, dosage, course of treatment, and route should be treated differently according to age, etiology, pathology, treatment response, and whether it is easy to relapse. The type of glucocorticoid should be correctly selected according to the needs of different diseases. In terms of medication dosage, you should repeatedly consider and weigh it, and use the medication rationally and well-foundedly based on your own weight, age, condition, histopathological typing, etc., and try to use the minimum glucocorticoid dose and appropriate course of treatment that can control the disease. If long-term medication is not required, try not to use it for a long time. In the process of using glucocorticoids, you should accurately choose the route of administration according to your own condition. If local administration is possible, do not use systemic medication.

3 Basic principles of medication

When using hormones to treat kidney disease, it is traditionally believed that the principles of "sufficient dosage, slow reduction, long-term, and maintenance" should be followed.

(1) Initially, sufficient dose: Regardless of whether it is nephrotic syndrome or chronic nephritic syndrome, at the beginning of treatment, the dose of hormone must be sufficient to achieve the greatest possible relief from the disease.

(2) Slowly reduce the dosage: Glucocorticoids may cause adverse reactions while treating the disease. After the disease is treated or controlled, it is not possible to continue to use the full dose and the dosage of the drug should be reduced.

(3) Long-term maintenance: In order to consolidate the therapeutic effect of kidney disease, small doses of hormones need to be taken for a long period of time for more than 1 year.

In short, before using corticosteroids, you need to fully understand your condition, evaluate whether the use of hormones will do more good than harm, or more harm than good, and strictly understand which diseases hormones are suitable for and which diseases they are forbidden to use. When using hormones, patients should follow the principles of medication and should not increase or decrease the dosage at will. At the same time, they should combine guidelines and the latest evidence-based basis, use medications according to individual patient conditions, and closely observe adverse reactions to minimize the adverse reactions and complications of hormones.