Adverse events are common with steroids

This meta-analysis of data retrieved from 28 studies comprising 2382 patients was just published in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. The important thing to note is that "High rates of adverse events were reported in high-quality studies with short follow-up" for low to medium doses. (All patients received prednisilone.) Rates of adverse events were especially high with inflammatory bowel disease, but significant also for the rheumatic diseases included in the study. This highlights one of the advantages of the functional medicine approach that minimizes dependence on steroids by addressing the underlying immune system dysfunction.