Abstract
Although effective for both acute and often long term treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, systemically absorbed corticosteroids have a high incidence of side effects. This article briefly reviews the pharmacokinetics of corticosteroids and the strategics available for reducing systemic side effects. In particular, fluitcasone propionate is a fluorinated glucocorticoid, in which systemic side effects are absent or minimal due to its relatively low absorption and rapid first pass metabolism In an open trial in 12 patients with mild and moderately active Crohn's disease, administration of 20 mg fluitcasone propionate orally was associated with a significant fall in the Crohn's disease activity index and improvement in other parameters of inflammation, without change in either plasma cortisol levels or responsiveness to adrenocorticotropic hormone, suggesting that this drug is a promising therapy for Crohn's disease meriting evaluation against conventional corticosteroids.