ELI5. If steroid drugs like Prednisone are essentially immunosuppressants, how do they aid in the treatment of diseases like Pneumonia etc. Don’t they in effect kick the body when it’s already down, making it harder to fight off the infection?
In: Biology
Steroids aren’t just antidepressants, they also reduce inflammation. Inflammation is an immune response to a sickness or injury, but sometimes your body creates too much inflammation that it becomes counterproductive or even seriously harmful. For example, if a person has some severe lung disease, the lung inflammation might be so severe that it makes it almost impossible for the person to get enough oxygen. In that case, it’s critical to reduce inflammation so the person can get enough oxygen even if there’s a temporary mild immunosppressant effect.
Prescribing drugs that reduce inflammation can prevent or reduce this overreaction and either prevent further damage or speed up the healing process. Of course, there’s a tradeoff between that and the immunosuppressant effects, so doctors will weigh the benefits vs the drawbacks and adjust the dosage and time on the steroid accordingly.
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