Do I need to take medicines for lifetime?

Q: I am a 22 years old male. I had been diagnosed with Churg Strauss Vasculitis 2 years back. It had affected both my feet. I was on Endoxan 100mg/day and Ecosprin 75mg/day initially, now the steroid has been stopped and Endoxan has been reduced to 50 mg. I am almost on the verge of recovering. Can the medicines be stopped completely? The doctor says that I might need to continue them for life. Please advise.

A:The Churg Strauss Syndrome (CSS) is one of the members of vasculitis family and is of unknown aetiology. There is no known cure for this disease that would eradicate it from the body completely. There are instances when there is a remission and sometimes these periods of remission are very long. In the light of the nature of the disease it would be imperative to follow the disease for life and the decision to treat would be based on the intensity of the disease, its flare up and the organ involved. (There is inevitable involvement of the various organs to a varying degree). It would be unwise to stop the treatment completely, more so when the same treatment has been very effective. This really means that treatment will have to continue for a very long time if not for life.