[Long-term treatment with corticoids in respiratory disorders].

Abstract

In a first chapter the author reviews the mechanisms of action of corticoids in respiratory diseases. Moreover the causes and the prevalence of unwanted side-effects are discussed. The advantages of synthetic glucocorticoids with short half-life time in pneumology are stressed. In the following chapters, the rationale of long-term corticoid treatments of asthma, in non allergic obstructive chronic lung diseases, in sarcoidosis and in the thoracic localisations of some collagen diseases is presented in detail. Regarding the treatment of asthma the author discusses the advantages of the alternate-day therapy, the use of corticoids in aerosols and the ratioale of ACTH. The usefulness of alternate-day therapy in sarcoidosis is also advocated.