hydrocortisone
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hydrocortisone
(hī'drəkôr`tĭzōn'), another name for the steroid hormone cortisolcortisolor hydrocortisone,
steroid hormone that in humans is the major circulating hormone of the cortex, or outer layer, of the adrenal gland. Like cortisone, cortisol is classed as a glucocorticoid; it stimulates liver glycogen formation while it decreases the rate
..... Click the link for more information. , more especially used to refer to preparations of this hormone used medicinally. Hydrocortisone, introduced in 1952, is more potent than cortisonecortisone
, steroid hormone whose main physiological effect is on carbohydrate metabolism. It is synthesized from cholesterol in the outer layer, or cortex, of the adrenal gland under the stimulation of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).
..... Click the link for more information. with respect to medicinal metabolic and anti-inflammatory effects. Like cortisone, it is used to treat Addison's diseaseAddison's disease
[for Thomas Addison], progressive disease brought about by atrophy of the outer layer, or cortex, of the adrenal gland; it is also called chronic adrenocortical insufficiency.
..... Click the link for more information. , inflammatory and rheumatoid diseases, and allergies. Low-potency hydrocortisone, available over the counter, is used to treat skin irritations. See also corticosteroid drugcorticosteroid drug
, any one of several synthetic or naturally occurring substances with the general chemical structure of steroids. They are used therapeutically to mimic or augment the effects of the naturally occurring corticosteroids, which are produced in the cortex of the
..... Click the link for more information. ; steroidssteroids,
class of lipids having a particular molecular ring structure called the cyclopentanoperhydro-phenanthrene ring system. Steroids differ from one another in the structure of various side chains and additional rings. Steroids are common in both plants and animals.
..... Click the link for more information. .
Hydrocortisone
(17-hydroxycorticosterone, cortisol), one of the glucocorticoids; a hormone formed in the adrenal cortex and predominantly regulating carbohydrate metabolism. The human adrenal glands secrete from 5 to 30 mg of hydrocortisone per day, although formation of hydrocortisone may increase five times under conditions of stress or upon introduction of adrenocorticotropic hormone.
Hydrocortisone is used in medical practice as a hormonal preparation that exerts an anti-inflammatory and antiallergic effect. Hydrocortisone (and hydrocortisone acetate in the form of a suspension) is prescribed for the treatment of rheumatism, bronchial asthma, leukemia, and endocrine and other diseases; it is used locally (most often in the form of a cream) for eczema, neurodermatitis, and eye diseases.