title: [History of corticotherapy].
abstract: Corticosteroids emerged in the late 1940s, at a time when steroid chemistry began to offer new therapeutic approaches. Extractive chemistry (T. Reichstein), chemical synthesis (E.C. Kendall) and clinical investigations (P. Hench) were combined to result in the discovery of cortisone in 1948, leading to a long series of related derivatives. Besides their first applications to treat Addison's disease and rheumatic or inflammatory diseases, corticosteroids could easily correct many metabolic and functional symptoms. Fluoridation of the steroid skeleton allowed the development of more active and better tolerated molecules. Corticosteroids have revolutionized the treatment of allergic diseases or immunity troubles, graft rejection, many dermatological, respiratory, digestive, eye diseases, etc. It is used today in all areas of therapeutic.
authors: Service de pharmacie pharmacologie toxicologie, hôpitaux universitaires Paris Centre, 1, place du Parvis-Notre-Dame, 75181 Paris cedex 4, France. francois.chast@htd.aphp.fr
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Chast
mesh_terms: D000224:Addison Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000266:history; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000266:history* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001168:Arthritis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000266:history; D003348:Cortisone / Q000266:history / Q000627:therapeutic use; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D003348:Cortisone