DOI: 10.36347/sajp.2021.v10i03.003

Pages: 49-53

Background: Corticosteroids (CS) have long been known as the most powerful of all known anti-inflammatory agents. They have shown pivotal role in the treatment of various serious disorders such as autoimmune diseases, allergic processes, organ transplantation, rheumatologic, pulmonary, hematological, ophthalmologic, gastrointestinal disorders, and others. Nevertheless, such massive clinical use does not come without risks, where prolonged use has been linked to several serious side effects. Therefore, careful consideration of precautions recommended for safe use of corticosteroids is of paramount importance. Aims and Objectives: To assess awareness in patients with rheumatological diseases toward oral corticosteroids, to explore the extent to which steroid outpatients were well engaged with medication proper use and safety-related behaviors. Materials and Methods: A structured questionnaire methodology was adopted to assess the awareness revolving around steroid usage in patients. The study was a total coverage of patients attending outpatient clinic of Omdurman military hospital. Data were collected by well-trained researchers, analyzed. Standard descriptive and analytical statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: Overall, our study showed poor awareness score (53%) results among Sudanese patients using corticosteroids, but there was significant relation between awareness score and educational level. Conclusion: Despite the massive use of corticosteroids and its inherent associated risks, patients still needs provisions for better education regarding their medication efficacy, safety, and proper use. By careful follow-up of proper corticosteroids use instructions, both patients and physicians would positively reach an optimized cost-effective therapeutic approach with much more improved benefit/risk ratio.