TUESDAY, Oct. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Although systemic corticosteroid therapy for infectious mononucleosis patients is controversial, almost half of those diagnosed with the condition still receive the treatment, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.
Scott K. Thompson, M.D., of the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, N.Y., and colleagues reviewed the medical records of 206 patients diagnosed and treated for infectious mononucleosis at their facility from 1998 to 2003.
While only 8% of patients met the standard criteria for corticosteroid therapy (impending airway obstruction), 44.7% received the treatment. Patients who had a previous visit for treatment of infectious mononucleosis, those who where hospitalized, or those who were referred to an otolaryngologist were more likely to receive corticosteroid therapy.
Although some studies have suggested that corticosteroids use can actually be harmful for infectious mononucleosis patients, "our review failed to demonstrate any such trend," the authors conclude.
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