Corticosteroid Infections: Risks, Prevention, and What You Need to Know

When you take corticosteroids, a class of powerful anti-inflammatory drugs used for conditions like asthma, arthritis, and autoimmune diseases. Also known as steroids, they work by calming down your immune system—but that same effect can leave you vulnerable to infections. It’s not that steroids cause infections directly. They make it harder for your body to fight off bacteria, viruses, and fungi that are already around you. This is why people on long-term steroid therapy often get infections they’d normally shake off easily—like pneumonia, skin abscesses, or even rare fungal infections.

One of the biggest risks comes from immunosuppression, the medical term for when your immune system is deliberately weakened. This isn’t just a side effect—it’s the intended outcome for conditions like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. But when that suppression lasts months or years, your body loses its ability to respond quickly to threats. You might not even feel sick at first. A simple cough could turn into pneumonia. A small cut might develop into a deep skin infection. And if you’re also on other drugs that suppress immunity, like biologics or chemotherapy, the risk multiplies.

Not everyone on steroids gets infections, but certain factors raise the danger. Older adults, people with diabetes, those with poor nutrition, or anyone who’s had recent surgery or hospital stays are more at risk. Even something as simple as not washing your hands regularly or skipping flu shots can make a difference. The good news? You can reduce your risk without stopping your medication. Regular check-ups, keeping blood sugar in control, staying up to date on vaccines (like pneumococcal and shingles shots), and watching for early signs of infection—like low-grade fever, unusual fatigue, or redness that won’t go away—are all critical.

Some infections linked to steroid use are rare but serious. For example, reactivation of latent tuberculosis, a hidden TB infection that flares up when immunity drops is a known danger. That’s why doctors often test for TB before starting long-term steroids. Another example is oral thrush from inhaled steroids—easy to prevent with rinsing after use. And while intranasal corticosteroids, commonly used for allergies are much safer than oral or injected forms, they’re not risk-free if used incorrectly or for too long without monitoring.

What you’ll find in the posts below isn’t just a list of infections. It’s a practical guide to understanding how steroids change your body’s defenses, which medications increase the danger when combined, and how to protect yourself without giving up the benefits. From drug interactions that raise infection risk to the real-world steps you can take right now, these articles give you the facts—not fear. You don’t have to live in constant worry. You just need to know what to watch for, when to call your doctor, and how to work with your treatment, not against it.