Prednisone facts for kids
Prednisone is a type of medicine called a glucocorticoid. It's mostly used to help calm down your body's defense system, also known as the immune system. It also helps to reduce inflammation, which is when parts of your body get swollen or red.
Doctors use prednisone to treat many different health problems. For example, it can help people with asthma or a lung condition called COPD. It's also used for diseases that affect your joints and muscles, like rheumatologic diseases. Prednisone can also help if someone has high calcium levels in their blood (which can happen with some illnesses) or a condition where their body doesn't make enough natural steroids. You usually take this medicine as a pill.
What Prednisone Helps With
Prednisone is a powerful medicine that can treat many conditions by reducing inflammation and calming the immune system. Here are some of the main health issues it helps with:
- Sarcoidosis: This is a disease where tiny clumps of inflammatory cells grow in different parts of the body, often in the lungs, skin, or eyes. Prednisone can help reduce this inflammation.
- Allergies: When you have a severe allergic reaction, your immune system overreacts to something harmless, like pollen or certain foods. Prednisone can help calm this strong reaction and reduce symptoms like swelling or itching.
- Autoimmune diseases: These are conditions where your immune system mistakenly attacks your own healthy body parts. Prednisone helps by lowering the activity of the immune system, stopping it from causing damage.
Images for kids
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This picture shows a micrograph of fatty liver. Sometimes, if someone takes prednisone for a very long time, it can lead to this condition. This image was made using a special Trichrome stain.
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