HOW GLUCOCORTICOIDS WORK TO TREAT ASTHMA

Glucocorticoids are a type of steroid commonly prescribed to manage asthma. They are medications used to reduce the immune system’s inflammatory response. Your body makes its own glucocorticoids to control inflammation and the way your cells process fats and sugars. Normally, inflammation is your immune system’s response to infection or injury. It causes your body to produce hormones and extra white blood cells that help your body heal. Sometimes this immune response is too strong and can hurt your body, such as when asthma triggers airway inflammation that hinders breathing. Prednisone and dexamethasone are two glucocorticoids commonly used to treat asthma and allergies. These drugs mimic the effects of the hormone cortisol, which the body uses to reduce inflammation.

P.S. Many asthma patients do not respond to glucocorticoids but often see positive results from non-steroidal oral medications and biologics, which use living cells to target inflammatory response.

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