Pharmacort Indications/Uses

Endocrine Disorders: Primary or secondary adrenocortical insufficiency (hydrocortisone or cortisone is the first choice: synthesis analogs like dexamethasone may be used in conjunction with mineralocorticoids where applicable; in infancy, mineralocorticoid supplementation is of particular importance; acute adrenocortical insufficiency (hydrocortisone or cortisone is the first choice mineralocorticoid supplementation may be necessary especially when synthetic analog are used); congenital adrenal hyperplasia; hypercalcemia associated w/ cancer; preoperatively and in the event of serious trauma or illness, in patients with known adrenal insufficiency or when adrenocortical reserve is doubtful; nonsuppurative thyroiditis.
Rheumatic Disorders: As adjunctive therapy for short-term administration (to tide the patient over an acute episode or exacerbation) in: Post-traumatic osteoarthritis; rheumatoid arthritis including juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (selected cases may require low-dose maintenance therapy); ankylosing spondylitis; acute nonspecific tenosynovitis; psoriatic arthritis; temporal arteritis; synovitis or osteoarthritis; acute and subacute bursitis; acute gouty arthritis; epicondylitis.
Collagen Disorders: During exacerbation or as maintenance therapy in selected cases of systemic lupus erythematosus; systemic dermatomyositis (polymyositis); acute rheumatic carditis.
Dermatologic Disorders: Pemphigus; severe erythema multiforme (Stevens-Johnson syndrome); bullous dermatitis herpetiformis; mycosis fungoides; severe psoriasis; exfoliative dermatitis; severe seborrheic dermatitis.
Allergic States: Control of severe or incapacitating allergic conditions intractable to adequate trials of conventional treatment in adults and children with bronchial asthma; contact dermatitis; serum sickness; urticarial transfusion reactions; acute noninfectious laryngeal edema (epinephrine is the drug of choice); seasonal or perennial allergic rhinitis; atopic dermatitis; drug hypersensitivity reactions.
Ophthalmic Diseases: Severe acute and chronic allergic and inflammatory processes involving the eye and its adnexa, such as herpes zoster ophthalmicus; chlorioretinitis; optic neuritis; anterior segment inflammation; keratitis; iritis, iridocyclitis; diffuse posterior uveitis and choroiditis; sympathetic ophthalmis; allergic conjunctivitis; allergic corneal marginal ulcers.
Gastrointestinal Diseases: To tide the patient over a critical period of the disease in: Ulcerative colitis (systemic therapy); Crohn's disease; regional enteritis (systemic therapy).
Respiratory Diseases: Symptomatic sarcoidosis. Fulminating or disseminated pulmonary tuberculosis when used concurrently with appropriate antituberculosis chemotherapy; Loeffler's syndrome not manageable by other means; aspiration pneumonitis; idiopathic eosinophilic pneumonias; berylliosis; aspirations of gastric contents.
Hematologic Disorders: Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in adults (IV only: IM administration is contraindicated); erythroblastopenia (RBC anemia; pure red cell aplasia); selected cases of secondary thrombocytopenia in adults; acquired (autoimmune) hemolytic anemia; congenital (erythroid) hypoplastic anemia (Diamond-Blackfan anemia); aspirations of gastric contents; idiopathic eosinophillic pneumonias.
Neoplastic Diseases: For palliative management of acute leukemia in children; leukemias and lymphomas in adults.
Edematous States/Renal Disorders: To induce diuresis or remission or proteinuria in nephrotic syndrome, without uremia, of the idiopathic type or due to lupus erythematosus.
Nervous System Disorders: Acute exacerbations of multiple sclerosis.
Medical Emergencies: Shock secondary to adrenocortical insufficiency or shock unresponsive to conventional therapy when adrenocortical insufficiency may be present;
acute allergic disorders (status asthmaticus, anaphylactic reactions, insect stings, etc.) following epinephrine.
Although there are no well controlled (double-blind, placebo) clinical trials, data from experimental animal studies indicate that corticosteroids may be useful in hemorrhagic, traumatic and surgical shock in which standard therapy (e.g., fluid replacement, etc.) has not been effective.
Other Uses: Tuberculosis meningitis with subarachnoid block or impending block when used concurrently with appropriate antituberculosis chemotherapy; trichinosis with neurologic or myocardial involvement.