Glucocorticoids (as an Etiologic Factor)

Compound E (cortisone) was first isolated from the adrenal cortical extracts in 1935 and dramatically improved rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the 1940s [1]. In 1950, Kendall, Hench, and Reichstein were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for demonstrating the structure and effects of the hormones. Since then, glucocorticoids have been used as a first-line therapy for immune-mediated conditions or as an adjunctive therapy in many inflammatory, infectious, or malignant diseases.