Review article Allergic

hypersensitivity to topical and systemic corticosteroids: a review The therapeutic properties of corticosteroids (CSs) were first demonstrated by Edward Kendall and Philip Hench in 1948 (1). During the 1950s it was discovered that hydrocortisone, a natural glucocorticoid hormone, could reduce inflammation and proliferation in some skin disorders (2). Chemical modifications of this basic hor-mone soon gave rise to multiple CSs of varying strength, each with its own specific properties. In addition to their basic role in the treatment for inflammatory skin pathol-ogies, CSs are also used in emergency medicine and in several internal diseases. Corticosteroids have an anti-inflammatory effect, which is mainly related to the inhibition of transcription of several pro-inflammator