Metcort Indications/Uses

Endocrine Disorders: Primary or secondary adrenocortical insufficiency (hydrocortisone or cortisone is the 1st choice; synthetic analogs eg, dexamethasone may be used in conjunction with mineralocorticoids where applicable; in infancy, mineralocorticoid supplementation is of particular importance); congenital adrenal hyperplasia; nonsuppurative thyroiditis; hypercalcemia associated with cancer.
Rheumatic Disorders: As adjunctive therapy for short-term administration (to tide the patient over an acute episode or exacerbation) in posttraumatic osteoarthritis (OA); synovitis of OA; rheumatoid arthritis (RA), including juvenile RA (selected cases may require low-dose maintenance therapy); ankylosing spondylitis; acute and subacute bursitis; acute nonspecific tenosynovitis; acute gouty arthritis; psoriatic arthritis; epicondylitis.
Collagen Diseases: During an exacerbation or as maintenance therapy in selected cases of systemic lupus erythematosus, polymyalgia rheumatica, systemic dermatomyositis (polymyositis), giant cell arteritis, acute rheumatic carditis.
Dermatologic Diseases: Pemphigus vulgaris, severe erythema multiforme (Stevens-Johnson syndrome), bullous dermatitis herpetiformis, exfoliative dermatitis, mycosis fungoides, severe seborrheic dermatitis, severe psoriasis.
Allergic States: Control of severe or incapacitating allergic conditions intractable to adequate trials of conventional treatment bronchial asthma, seasonal or perennial allergic rhinitis, allergic contact dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, serum sickness, drug hypersensitivity reactions.
Ophthalmic Diseases: Severe acute and chronic allergic and inflammatory processes involving the eye and its adnexa eg, herpes zoster ophthalmicus, anterior uveitis (iritis, iridocyclitis), diffuse posterior uveitis and choroiditis, chorioretinitis, optic neuritis, sympathetic ophthalmia, anterior segment inflammation, allergic conjunctivitis, keratitis, allergic corneal marginal ulcers.
Gastrointestinal Diseases: To tide the patient over a critical period of the disease in ulcerative colitis, regional enteritis, Crohn's disease.
Respiratory Diseases: Symptomatic sarcoidosis, berylliosis, fulminating or disseminated pulmonary tuberculosis when used concurrently with appropriate antituberculous chemotherapy, Loeffler's syndrome not manageable by other means, aspiration pneumonitis.
Hematologic Disorders: Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in adults, erythroblastopenia (RBC anemia), secondary thrombocytopenia in adults, acquired (autoimmune) hemolytic anemia, congenital (erythroid) hypoplastic anemia.
Neoplastic Diseases: For palliative management of leukemias and lymphomas in adults, acute leukemia in children.
Edematous States: To induce diuresis or remission of proteinuria in nephrotic syndrome, without uremia, of the idiopathic type or that due to lupus erythematosus.
Nervous System Disorders: Acute exacerbations of multiple sclerosis and management of edema associated with brain tumor.
Organ Transplantations (Other Uses): Tuberculous meningitis with subarachnoid block or impending block when used concurrently with appropriate antituberculous chemotherapy, trichinosis with neurologic or myocardial involvement.