Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Patients with severe forms of COVID-19 have higher chances of surviving if given fixed doses of hydrocortisone. This is according to findings of a new study carried out by the Imperial College of London.
The findings which were released today and published in the journal in the Journal of American Medical Association-JAMA indicate that the cheap steroid drug that can be used to treat skin and allergic conditions can increase the rate of recovery by 93 per cent.
A total of 403 patients from different ethnicities was enrolled for the study from 88 hospitals between March and June 2020. Researchers from the World Health Organization combined data from seven randomised clinical trials for patients treated with steroids versus standard care or a placebo up to June 9. The trials used the steroids hydrocortisone, dexamethasone or methylprednisolone.
Findings show that patients who received a 50mg of the steroid had a better chance of surviving with minimal or no organ support on a ventilator compared to those not using the drug. Patients who were given the drug when their blood pressure was low had an 80 per cent chance of better outcomes.
People who were on ventilators when their clinical trial started had a 30 per cent chance of dying from the virus if given steroids compared with a 38 per cent chance on standard care or a placebo. Results were even more promising for critically ill people who were not on ventilators.
Based on the results of the study, the World Health Organisation recommended on Wednesday that doctors give dexamethasone or hydrocortisone to severely and critically ill COVID-19 patients.
Professor Anthony Gordon, the lead investigator on the study said that the results that the world now has more than one choice of treatment for those that need it most. However, steroids are not a cure of the disease and the findings show that the drug is more effective in patients with severe forms of the disease.
Hydrocortisone is used in the treatment of many different conditions such as allergic disorders, skin conditions, ulcerative colitis, arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, or lung disorders.
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