Oral steroids in dermatology: the story behind it
- The use of steroids in dermatology was initiated by two American New-York based dermatologists: Drs Marion Sulzberger and Victor Witten.
- Oral steroids:
- results of orally administered cortisone acetate were published in the Archives of Dermatology (now JAMA Dermatology) in 1951 and served the following purposes:
- “1. to get over the hump for an inflammatory dermatosis” (atopic dermatitis, dermatitis herpetiformis, nummular eczema
- 2. to give relief of acute or chronic dermatosis such as penicillin urticaria, multiform drug eruptions…even if the condition is self-limiting
- 3. to give relief when dermatoses are investigated further (pruritus)
- 4. to get a dermatosis under control
- 5. as a purely temporary measure of practical usefulness…such as when traveling to an area where a dermatoses responds better.
- 6. to help a patient in an emergency (wedding, party)
- 7. to maintain remission in which the prognosis is very poor (pemphigus vulgaris)”
- results of orally administered cortisone acetate were published in the Archives of Dermatology (now JAMA Dermatology) in 1951 and served the following purposes:
- To read more about oral steroids: click here.
Source of information: Crissey JT el al. Dermatology and Dermatologists (2002). Parthenon Publishing
