Which of the following is NOT a use of corticosteroids?

Corticosteroids are a class of steroid hormones that are produced in the adrenal cortex and are commonly used in medical practice for their powerful anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties.

The primary uses of corticosteroids include decreasing inflammation, which is essential for treating conditions like arthritis, asthma, and other inflammatory disorders. They also effectively suppress the immune system's response, making them useful in treating autoimmune diseases where the immune system attacks the body's own tissues. Additionally, corticosteroids can reduce itching, especially in conditions like eczema or allergic reactions, by addressing the underlying inflammatory processes.

While corticosteroids may be used as part of a pain management protocol due to their anti-inflammatory effects, they do not relieve pain directly. Pain relief depends on the medication's ability to address the inflammation causing the pain, but corticosteroids themselves do not have inherent analgesic (pain-relieving) properties. Therefore, stating that relieving pain directly is one of their uses is inaccurate, making it the correct answer to the question.