Table of contents:
- Corticosteroids and scientific evidence of their efficacy in helping COVID-19 patients
- 1,024,298
- 831,330
- 28,855
- The use of corticosteroids in treating corona virus patients
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Corticosteroid drugs are proven to be able to save COVID-19 patients with severe symptoms from a critical condition. This fact is proven by several studies and has been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO).
This finding earned corticosteroids permission for widespread use. However, the researchers emphasized that this drug is not for curing a person from COVID-19 infection
Corticosteroids and scientific evidence of their efficacy in helping COVID-19 patients
Research on the use of corticosteroids in treating COVID-19 patients with symptoms of severe respiratory distress was first conducted by Chinese researchers in early March.
In June, researchers in the UK further investigated the use of corticosteroids that can save the lives of COVID-19 patients who are in critical condition. The corticosteroid used is dexamethasone.
Dexamethasone or dexamethasone is a corticosteroid type steroid. This drug is usually used to treat patients with inflammation, indigestion, asthma, and allergic reactions.
In the study, researchers conducted direct clinical trials on thousands of COVID-19 patients in the UK who were randomly selected. As a result, the efficacy of corticosteroids was seen most clearly in patients who needed oxygen assistance. But this drug has no significant effect on patients who do not need oxygen.
Among patients who need a ventilator, dexamethasone reduces the mortality rate by 35%. While among COVID-19 patients who received supplemental oxygen instead of a ventilator, these corticosteroid drugs reduced the death rate by up to 20%. This mortality rate was calculated within 28 days of starting treatment.
The researchers also found no potential side effects of concern. However, the use of this corticosteroid still needs further investigation to confirm its effectiveness.
The latest research published in the journal JAMA (2/9) states that the use of corticosteroids is effective in helping COVID-19 patients get out of a critical period.
This latest analysis removes any lingering doubts about the administration of corticosteroids in treating SARS-CoV-2 virus infection. This study also confirmed the safety of all types of corticosteroids, not just dexamethasone.
COVID-19 Outbreak updates Country: IndonesiaData
1,024,298
Confirmed831,330
Recovered28,855
DeathDistribution MapThe use of corticosteroids in treating corona virus patients
WHO recommends avoiding the use of corticosteroids in the early stages of COVID-19 infection.
The reason is, these steroid drugs can block the immune system's efforts to fight the virus. However, if used in the mid to late period of COVID-19 infection, dexamethasone can help ward off cytokine storms (an excessive immune response that attacks body tissues).
This drug is also not recommended for use in treating COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms because it has not been proven beneficial. In some cases, the use of corticosteroids can be potentially harmful.
Corticosteroids can be swallowed in tablets or given intravenously or intravenously. The doses given so far have been low doses and there is no evidence that high doses will be more effective.
"Early in the year, sometimes it felt almost hopeless knowing we didn't have a specific drug," said Anthony Gordon, research professor at Imperial College London.
"But less than six months later we have found clear and reliable evidence in high-quality clinical trials of how corticosteroids can treat this devastating disease," he said.
