Corticosteroid Issues

Carol L. Koski, M.D., Principal Author

Corticosteroids are often therapy of first choice and patients with CIDP respond well to corticosteroid treatment.

However, long-term administration of steroids can be accompanied by serious side effects:

• Cushingoid features
• weight gain
• vascular necrosis
• osteopenia/osteoporosis
• Myosin-loss
• type II atrophy
• diabetes
• acne
• striae
• hypertension
• psychosis & mood change
• pseudotumor cerebri
• glaucoma
• infection

The cumulative effects that predispose patients to the development of diabetes, osteopenia or osteoporosis, and weight gain are especially not well tolerated in older patients.