At first glance, oral corticosteroids (OCS) can seem like great solutions to treat uncontrolled or severe asthma – and in some cases may be – but let’s take a closer look at asthma treatment and OCS. OCS treatment is not without risks and may signal a need to consider other treatment options. Let’s investigate!
Play VideoOCS (like prednisone) can be an important tool for treating asthma flares, but can also lead to unintended health risks.1 In fact, repeated OCS use may actually be a clue that asthma is not under control and the treatment plan is failing.
OCS Overexposed: Thinking Beyond the Burst is a national education campaign to raise awareness of appropriate OCS use and reveal OCS overuse for what it often is – a treatment plan failure.
It’s important to recognize that while OCS can be critical to treat asthma flares, by reducing the risk of emergency room visits or hospitalizations, OCS have also been linked to serious health risks.1,2 Today, repeated use of OCS by someone living with uncontrolled or severe asthma is often a sign that their treatment plan isn’t working anymore.
Asthma is a disease, typically with inflammation, of the airways and causes coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath.3 Severe or difficult-to-control asthma can be debilitating to patients, negatively impacting their lives at home and at school or work.3 Sudden severe symptoms can even be deadly.3 There is no cure for asthma, but a range of conventional and advanced medications can help control symptoms.3 Even if symptoms do not lead to an OCS burst, people enduring frequent symptoms because of poor asthma control should expect better from their treatment plan.
People with severe asthma live with symptoms that appear frequently, including asthma flares, that get worse over time (even if medicine is taken as prescribed).4 If you think you or your loved one may have severe asthma, review these warning signs with a doctor.
*OCS should not be confused with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). Speak to your doctor before making any changes to your treatment plan.1
This website and its content is copyright of Allergy & Asthma Network - © Allergy & Asthma Network 2019 - 2023. All rights reserved.
Any redistribution or reproduction of part or all of the contents in any form is prohibited other than the following:
You may not, except with our express written permission, distribute or commercially exploit the content. Nor may you transmit it or store it in any other website or other form of electronic retrieval system.