A local medical worker brings medication to a COVID-19 case under home care in Binh Dinh province (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNS/VNA) – have warned the of
corticosteroid drugs during home treatment of COVID-19 cases without a
doctor’s input could worsen the disease.
With the
COVID-19 caseload skyrocketing throughout Vietnam, and home-based treatment becoming
the norm as the majority suffer only asymptomatic to mild cases thanks to a
very high vaccination rate, many overly worried patients have resorted to word
of mouth treatments.
Some
circulating online are dexamethasone and methylprednisolone,
which should only be prescribed by doctors for patients in mild or
serious cases since their hyperactive immunity might be causing damage to
their own organs.
While
corticosteroids – strong hormone-related drugs even at lower dosages with
wide-ranging effects throughout the body – are a very familiar group of
anti-inflammatory drugs used in the treatment of many diseases from inhibiting
inflammatory disorders and allergic reactions, these drugs should only be used
after very careful benefit/risk considerations and only when absolutely
necessary, said Dr Nguyen Thi Lien Huong from the University of Pharmacy Hanoi.
The drugs can
inhibit immune response, lessening the severity of the assaults on the body
during COVID-19 infection, which could lead to reduced hospitalisation time and
cut mortality risks, according to clinical studies.
However, Dr Huong
said that only a small fraction of COVID-19 patients suffer from this
condition, and in most cases, especially among the vaccinated/boosted, the
immune system was activated at an adequate level to fight off the virus without
causing unintended damage.
This means if
the corticosteroid drugs are used on unsuitable patients during COVID-19
treatment, the immune system might be unduly suppressed and no longer as
effective in battling coronavirus as it should have been and causing the
disease to progress further.
Early use of
corticosteroids – when the patient has not required oxygen masks and saturation
of peripheral oxygen (SpO2) is over 95 per cent – might lead to higher severe
disease and fatality rates compared to non-use, according to Dr Nguyen Huy Hoang
from the Vietnam-Russia Hyperbaric Oxygen Centre.
This is not to
mention other opportunistic infections – including from bacteria and fungi –
that could take hold when the body’s protection is lowered.
Taking
corticosteroids even in the short term could also have various side effects
like hyperglycemia, glaucoma, psychosis, peptic ulcers, etc. while long-term
use can cause inhibition of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, acute
adrenal insufficiency, osteoporosis, and endocrine disorders./.
Source: VietnamPlus
