Use of Corticosteroids for Anorexia in Palliative Medicine: A Systematic Review

Abstract Background: Anorexia is a significant problem in patients approaching the end of life, for which corticosteroids are widely prescribed. It is not clear which regimen is the most safe and effective for this indication. Objective: The study objective was to identify the evidence for the use of corticosteroids, and the most safe and effective dosing regimen for management of anorexia in palliative care patients. Methods: A search of MEDLINE and CINAHL was carried out to identify original studies relevant to this question. These were reviewed against inclusion criteria and articles for inclusion were identified. Data was extracted and a narrative analysis was carried out. Subjects were adult patients with life-limiting diagnoses prescribed corticosteroids for anorexia in any care setting. Quality of studies was assessed using the system used by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network for grading evidence. Results: Eight articles were identified that met the inclusion criteria. The corticoster...