Table 1.
Basic characteristics of commonly used natural and synthetic corticosteroids [36]
| Agent | Activity | Equivalent oral dose (mg) | Forms available | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-inflammatory | Topical | Salt-retaining | |||
| Short- to medium-acting GCs | |||||
| Hydrocortisone (cortisol) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20 | p.o., inj., top. |
| Cortisone | 0.8 | 0 | 0.8 | 25 | p.o. |
| Prednisone | 4 | 0 | 0.3 | 5 | p.o., inj. |
| Prednisolone | 5 | 4 | 0.3 | 5 | p.o., inj. |
| Methylprednisolone | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | p.o., inj. |
| Meprednisone | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | p.o., inj. |
| Intermediate-acting GCs | |||||
| Triamcinolone | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | p.o., inj., top. |
| Paramethasone | 10 | – | 0 | 2 | p.o., inj. |
| Fluprednisolone | 15 | 7 | 0 | 1.5 | p.o. |
| Long-acting GCs | |||||
| Betamethasone | 25–40 | 10 | 0 | 0.6 | p.o., inj., top. |
| Dexamethasone | 30 | 10 | 0 | 0.75 | p.o., inj., top. |
| Mineralocorticoids | |||||
| Fludrocortisone | 10 | 0 | 250 | 2 | p.o. |
| Desoxycorticosterone acetate | 0 | 0 | 20 | – | p.o., inj. |