Most corticosteroids have similar effects, typified by the well-known drug hydrocortizone .
Generally, these drugs can help to calm the immune response to infection and disease, which in some rare cases may cause serious harm if allowed to go totally unchecked. A good example of how these might be used to help healing in serious infections is the use of prednisone as a complimentary therapy during treatment for PCP infections of the lungs. During this time, the immune response to the PCP parasite is strong and aggressive. When the immune system becomes concentrated upon a localized target like PCP in a single organ system, the swelling and inflammation that is the natural result of so many immune cells gathering in one small area can also cause great damage. The lungs can rapidly fill with fluid and become so swollen that breathing becomes nearly impossible.