A bit of good Covid-19 news for a change
It seems that perhaps a cheap widely available steroid helps reduce the death rate in severe cases of Covid-19. However, this does not mean that the risk of death from Covid-19 is no longer real. In addition it does not mean that you should be taking this steroid at home.From CNN;
In response to:
Commonly used steroid reduces risk of death in sickest coronavirus patients, preliminary study results suggest
The widely available steroid drug dexamethasone may be key in helping to treat the sickest Covid-19 patients who require ventilation or oxygen, according to researchers in the United Kingdom.
Their findings are preliminary, still being compiled, and have not been published in a peer-reviewed journal -- but some not involved with the study called the results a breakthrough.
The two lead investigators of the Recovery Trial, a large UK-based trial investigating potential Covid-19 treatments, announced to reporters in a virtual press conference on Tuesday that a low-dose regimen of dexamethasone for 10 days was found to reduce the risk of death by a third among hospitalized patients requiring ventilation in the trial.
"That's a highly statistically significant result," Martin Landray, deputy chief investigator of the trial and a professor at the University of Oxford, said on Tuesday.
"This is a completely compelling result. If one looks at the patients who did not require ventilators but were on oxygen, there was also a significant risk reduction of about one-fifth," Landray said. "However, we didn't see any benefit in those patients who were in hospital, had Covid, but whose lungs were working sufficiently well -- they were not taking either oxygen or on ventilators."
Landray added that "there are outstanding questions" and people treating Covid-19 at home should not be taking dexamethasone on the back of these results.
"We have not studied patients in the community," Landray said. "We show no effect in the patients who are not on oxygen and we did not study the patients who are not in hospital."
The dexamethasone arm of the Recovery Trial closed last week and researchers are now compiling its data. It included about 2,100 hospitalized Covid-19 patients who were randomized to receive dexamethasone, and about 4,300 hospitalized Covid-19 patients who were randomized to receive the usual standard of care at their hospitals.
In the trial, dexamethasone was provided at a dose of 6mg once a day for up to 10 days, administered either as an injection or taken orally. The researchers reported no serious adverse events among the patients taking dexamethasone, but the results are preliminary.
"At this stage, we found no clear adverse effects of doing this. Let's recognize that there are sort of two messages here. In the people who required oxygen or ventilation, it clearly works, and the benefits are biggest for those on ventilators. In the people in hospital with Covid who do not require oxygen -- so, their lungs are working moderately well -- then actually there's no benefit," Landray said on Tuesday.
"In the trial, our focus was on mortality, which obviously a drug can affect in either direction, but the overall results in the patients on oxygen and ventilation was a clear, clear benefit," Landray said, adding that deaths in the study were examined over a 28-day period. "We've looked, for example, were there deaths due to other forms of infection, which are sometimes considered a risk? And the answer is no, there was no excess of any other particular cause of death."
Dexamethasone is typically used to treat certain forms of arthritis, severe allergies and asthma, among other conditions, including certain types of cancer. Side effects can include upset stomach, headache, dizziness, insomnia and depression. GoodRx estimates the drug can cost as low as about $8. ...
Commonly used steroid reduces risk of death in sickest coronavirus patients, preliminary study results suggest
The widely available steroid drug dexamethasone may be key in helping to treat the sickest Covid-19 patients who require ventilation or oxygen, according to researchers in the United Kingdom.
Their findings are preliminary, still being compiled, and have not been published in a peer-reviewed journal -- but some not involved with the study called the results a breakthrough.
The two lead investigators of the Recovery Trial, a large UK-based trial investigating potential Covid-19 treatments, announced to reporters in a virtual press conference on Tuesday that a low-dose regimen of dexamethasone for 10 days was found to reduce the risk of death by a third among hospitalized patients requiring ventilation in the trial.
"That's a highly statistically significant result," Martin Landray, deputy chief investigator of the trial and a professor at the University of Oxford, said on Tuesday.
"This is a completely compelling result. If one looks at the patients who did not require ventilators but were on oxygen, there was also a significant risk reduction of about one-fifth," Landray said. "However, we didn't see any benefit in those patients who were in hospital, had Covid, but whose lungs were working sufficiently well -- they were not taking either oxygen or on ventilators."
Landray added that "there are outstanding questions" and people treating Covid-19 at home should not be taking dexamethasone on the back of these results.
"We have not studied patients in the community," Landray said. "We show no effect in the patients who are not on oxygen and we did not study the patients who are not in hospital."
The dexamethasone arm of the Recovery Trial closed last week and researchers are now compiling its data. It included about 2,100 hospitalized Covid-19 patients who were randomized to receive dexamethasone, and about 4,300 hospitalized Covid-19 patients who were randomized to receive the usual standard of care at their hospitals.
In the trial, dexamethasone was provided at a dose of 6mg once a day for up to 10 days, administered either as an injection or taken orally. The researchers reported no serious adverse events among the patients taking dexamethasone, but the results are preliminary.
"At this stage, we found no clear adverse effects of doing this. Let's recognize that there are sort of two messages here. In the people who required oxygen or ventilation, it clearly works, and the benefits are biggest for those on ventilators. In the people in hospital with Covid who do not require oxygen -- so, their lungs are working moderately well -- then actually there's no benefit," Landray said on Tuesday.
"In the trial, our focus was on mortality, which obviously a drug can affect in either direction, but the overall results in the patients on oxygen and ventilation was a clear, clear benefit," Landray said, adding that deaths in the study were examined over a 28-day period. "We've looked, for example, were there deaths due to other forms of infection, which are sometimes considered a risk? And the answer is no, there was no excess of any other particular cause of death."
Dexamethasone is typically used to treat certain forms of arthritis, severe allergies and asthma, among other conditions, including certain types of cancer. Side effects can include upset stomach, headache, dizziness, insomnia and depression. GoodRx estimates the drug can cost as low as about $8. ...
(continued in my first comment below)
Comments (11)
He will buy shares, then tell the American people to take it.
oops i meant Dr. Trump.
What the hell, Trump of ALL trades and master of none.
I suspect he is bipolar.
F - perhaps overall. But when you look at the most severe cases, it was more like 1 in 3,
which is quite significant.
How many have died from the recent protests ? Indeed, the protests are about SAVING lives from ongoing police brutality.
Hopefully, you will not get serious symptoms, if you do get infected.
But, if you do, hopefully your doctors will arrange for proper treatment.
cr - you move on to wherever you want, as long as it isn't near me.
Fortunately, effective vaccines will be available long before that.
I suspect he is bipolar."
I saw some neurologists said that Trump's gait is off (when he was walking down the ramp).
Another concern is when he tried to drink water from a glass and had to use his other hand to steady the glass.
Trump keeps all his medical and financial situation private. One can only speculate.
There will be 100 volumes of books about TRUMP when he leaves office.
America should be use to it by now, it was said that Ronald ruled while having Alzheimer.
It may be more accurate to state, that Nancy Reagan ruled, while Ronnie suffered from Alzheimers.
It's not only his medical records that are kept private, don't forget his tax returns (which he promised to release) and even his school records. He's threatened to sue the schools if they release any. There's likely a LOT of damaging skeletons in all those closets.