Treatment with Steroids
Prednisolone is a steroid tablet. It is similar to one of your own naturally occurring hormones and has a powerful effect against inflammation.
It is commonly used by people who have severe arthritis and asthma, but is also used in many other inflammations such as uveitis (inflammation in the eye).
Steroids only suppress the inflammation and do not ‘cure’ it. Some types of uveitis only last for a short time (a few weeks or more) then disappear by themselves. However, even in this short time, they may cause considerable damage to vision. Some forms of uveitis get ‘switched on’ by unknown causes and, for some reason, the body can not ‘switch off’ the inflammation. In this way, uveitis can last for many years and, during this time, damage to vision often occurs. In this circumstance, Prednisolone may be prescribed to try and minimise this damage but, because the inflammation does not go away, Prednisolone needs to be taken for long periods of time.
Prednisolone is often started at a high dose in order to ‘gain control’ of the inflammation. Once it has begun to take effect the dose will be reduced. Your eyes will be followed closely during this period to see what dose of Prednisolone is required. Some patients need to continue with a high dose in order to minimise damage to vision.
Every attempt will be made to reduce the dose of Prednisolone, but sometimes it is necessary to combine treatment with other ‘steroid sparing’ drugs such as Azathioprine, so that the dose of Prednisolone can be reduced further. This is usually necessary only for severe forms of uveitis.
If Prednisolone is to be prescribed for your eye inflammation, you will need to know about potential problems associated with it. The most important of these include: Psychological changes, stomach irritation, weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure and increased chance of infection.
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