What goes into the Steroid conversion
- From: Prednisone; Prednisolone; Methylprednisolone; Hydrocortisone; Dexamethasone
- Dose (mg)
How to interpret the result
- Equivalent doses: prednisone 5 mg = prednisolone 5 mg = methylprednisolone 4 mg = hydrocortisone 20 mg = dexamethasone 0.75 mg
Clinical pearls
- Hydrocortisone has meaningful mineralocorticoid activity; dexamethasone has none.
- Durations of action differ: dexamethasone is long-acting, hydrocortisone short-acting.
- Consider stress-dose steroids and adrenal suppression after more than about 3 weeks of therapy.
Evidence
- Liu D, et al. A practical guide to the monitoring and management of the complications of systemic corticosteroid therapy. Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol. 2013;9:30.
Related workups
Related calculators
For education only. Check the inputs and the population the score was validated in before acting on it. Not a substitute for clinical judgment.