The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s National Institute of Health analyzed the use of systemic steroids and the risk of side effects in severe asthma patients. To enhance patient safety, they reviewed domestic and international literature and expert opinions to establish a protocol for reducing systemic steroid use applicable to domestic patients. This protocol was published in the Korean Journal of Asthma and Allergy.
Severe asthma often leads to frequent symptom exacerbations and high treatment difficulty, causing some patients to rely on systemic steroids for extended periods. However, repeated short-term or long-term use of systemic steroids can cause various side effects, affecting the body’s hormonal, metabolic, immune, cardiovascular, nervous, and musculoskeletal systems.
In the domestic severe asthma registry, about 18% of registered patients were found to be taking systemic steroids for more than six months. Countries worldwide have developed reduction protocols tailored to their populations to minimize side effects from steroid use in asthma patients. This opinion paper reflects the clinical characteristics and treatment environment of Korean patients, systematizing a steroid use standard and reduction protocol tailored to Koreans.
Acting Director Kim Won-ho of the National Institute of Health stated that the new reduction protocol aims to improve the quality of life for severe asthma patients and reduce the social and economic burden of treatment by minimizing excessive use and side effects of systemic steroids. Commissioner Lim Seung-kwan of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency emphasized the importance of educating about the long-term health risks of repeated systemic steroid use and committed to expanding scientifically-based support projects to successfully establish steroid stewardship.