Review article: the limitations of corticosteroid therapy in Crohn's disease

Corticosteroids are highly effective in inducing clinical remission in patients with active Crohn's disease. However, the role of corticosteroids in the treatment of this disease is primarily ameliorative because they are ineffective in maintaining remission or healing mucosal lesions. Nearly half of the patients who initially respond to corticosteroid therapy develop a dependency on corticosteroids or have a relapse within 1 year. In addition, use of these agents is often limited by a relatively high risk of serious adverse effects that can involve nearly every major body system. These effects include: bone loss, which can develop with even short-term and low-dose corticosteroid therapy; metabolic complications such as glucose intolerance and diabetes mellitus; increased intraocular pressure and glaucoma; and potentially lethal infections. To minimize the risk of toxicity, corticosteroids are increasingly recommended for short-term use only at the lowest effective dose to induce remission in patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease. Corticosteroid formulations with low systemic bioavailability, such as controlled-release budesonide, may be associated with a lower rate of dermatologic adverse effects but appear to be somewhat less effective than conventional corticosteroids in inducing remission in patients with active Crohn's disease. Immunosuppressive agents such as azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine, and methotrexate have demonstrated corticosteroid-sparing effects, facilitating the withdrawal of corticosteroids when initiated as maintenance therapy. Infliximab can be used as an alternative to corticosteroids.