A trial that has taken place across 175 hospitals in the UK that has shown that low dose dexamethasone reduces the number of deaths in hospital amongst Covid-19 patients that are ventilated. The study recruited a total of 2,014 patients. Dexamethasone was either taken orally or by intravenous injection for 10 days. The drug was also used in patients receiving oxygen therapy only and it reduced deaths by a fifth. For Covid-19 patients that did not require any respiratory support no benefit was seen. The scientists based at Oxford University hospital have labelled this a major breakthrough.
The Statistics
The UK government has since announced that dexamethasone would immediately be used in the treatment of Covid-19 patients requiring respiratory support. If you look at the studies results, dexamethasone reduced deaths by one third in ventilated patients and one fifth in patients requiring oxygen.
In percentages:
It reduces mortality from 41% to 27% amount ventilated patients and 25% to 20% in those needing oxygen.
The use of dexamethasone break through has the added benefits that it is relatively cheap and readily available drug. For less than £50 you can treat eight patients and more importantly save lives.
What is Dexamethasone?
Dexamethasone is a steroid and is widely used as it works to reduce inflammation in conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and asthma. It is also used in end of life care to prevent the immune system from destroying blood platelets in people with blood disorders. For patients that have brain tumours, dexamethasone is used to reduce the swelling around the tumour.
Dexamethasone (corticosteroids) like many drugs has side effects:
- Anxiety
- Cognitive impairment
- Abnormal behaviour
- Fluid retention
- Fatigue
- Gastrointestinal discomfort
- Healing impairment
- Nausea
- Increased risk of infection
- Skin reactions
- Sleep disorders
- Weight increase
As Covid-19 is a global disease, it is therefore fantastic that the first treatment demonstrated to reduce mortality is one that is instantly available and affordable worldwide. We are grateful to the scientists, researchers, NHS staff and those patients who took part in the RECOVERY trial.
