Asthmatics may need longer courses of IV steroids if admitted. Is this statement true or false?

Asthmatics may need longer courses of IV steroids if admitted. Is this statement true or false?

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not specified
• D. Sometimes

Answer: (A)

In a severe asthma flare, the airway inflammation is more intense and the patient may not respond quickly to initial treatment. When someone is admitted to the hospital, the goal is to control that inflammation reliably, correct hypoxemia, and prevent relapse. Intravenous corticosteroids are often used for faster, more controlled anti-inflammatory effects, and because the patient may not be able to take oral meds or may require close monitoring. Because the illness can take longer to settle in the hospital, the course of IV steroids is frequently longer than what you’d see in outpatient management, with typical in-hospital plans lasting 24–72 hours or longer as the patient clinically improves before stepping down to oral steroids. So the statement is true: admitted asthmatics may need longer courses of IV steroids.

In a severe asthma flare, the airway inflammation is more intense and the patient may not respond quickly to initial treatment. When someone is admitted to the hospital, the goal is to control that inflammation reliably, correct hypoxemia, and prevent relapse. Intravenous corticosteroids are often used for faster, more controlled anti-inflammatory effects, and because the patient may not be able to take oral meds or may require close monitoring. Because the illness can take longer to settle in the hospital, the course of IV steroids is frequently longer than what you’d see in outpatient management, with typical in-hospital plans lasting 24–72 hours or longer as the patient clinically improves before stepping down to oral steroids. So the statement is true: admitted asthmatics may need longer courses of IV steroids.