Steroid Phobia: Lessons from the History of Symptomatic Treatment

Corticosteroids are well-studied and commonly prescribed treatments for conditions such as chronic eczema and allergic asthma. Yet despite their familiarity, patient adherence to corticosteroid treatment remains low, affecting both treatment outcome and healthcare costs. In response, a heterogeneous research endeavor formed around the notion of “steroid phobia” from the late 1970s to measure, explain, and prevent patients’ supposed fear of corticosteroids. Despite decades of research, however, the problem persists, and proposed solutions have not led to an improvement of patient adherence to corticosteroid treatment. This talk looks to the history of corticosteroids and “steroid phobia” research for explanations of this persistence and for new approaches to the challenge of non-adherence.