In this video we will discuss about the studies of the Oxford University Regarding the use of Dexamethasone in Patients of COVID-19.
Hello friends i hope everyone is fine in this video we will talk about the dexamethasone which is being so much now used in different different countries especially pakistan in context of the covert 19 in march 2020 the arcs for us tea they have started a trial for the use of the dexamethasone against the cova 19 along with so many other medications they wanted to
Know which medications can be very effective against the cova 19 patients so what did they do they enrolled almost 1015 patients from 175 different hospitals of the national health system now the name of the study is recovery trial and this is the abbreviation of the randomized evaluation of the co19 therapy now why they call it randomized because they randomly
Divided the patient in two groups one of the group was contained 2014 patient and these were the patients who were given dexamethasone either in injection form or oral form they were given 6 milligrams once a day for at least 10 days and the other group which we now call the control group it contained or it had 4321 patients and these were the patients who were
Not given the dexamethasone and they were put on the routine medications against the cova 19 which were being used at that time so at the end of the dis study which recently they have stopped and they had seen a very important finding that all those patients who were receiving dexamethasone and they were either on oxygen therapy or they were on the ventilator
There was 25% in reduction in the mortality in those patients but those patients who didn’t receive the dexamethasone they had they didn’t have this benefit in the mortality so they concluded that all those patients who are suffering from the over 19 they’ve been proven positive by using the pcr and they had sainan symptoms of the corona virus infection and when
They required oxygen in some form be it in the nasal cannula beat on the facemask non-rebreather mask or any other form or they ended up on the ventilator they had seen that these patient had the maximum benefit of the dexamethasone but otherwise those patient who do not require the oxygen therapy they should not be given the dexamethasone they will not have any
Benefit of its use why because in the early days of the corona virus infection our immune system is trying to get rid of the virus it’s having a fight against the virus but if we start using dexamethasone in such situation then this dexamethasone will suppress our immune system and it will favor the virus rather than our body but all those patients who have started
Using the oxygen therapy they have deteriorated and they are in need of some form of the mechanical ventilation for their deteriorated condition these are the patient where we see the immune system working against our own body so their dexamethasone will have its action it’s 25 times potent as anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive medicine so it will stop it will
Try to stop the cytokine storm it will try to sort of suppress the immune system which has now been started started working against our own body so dexamethasone when it is given in a dose of six milligrams either in the oral form or iv form will be very effective against the debt immune system so this is a very important concept of knowing that not everyone needs
This medicine that samantha zone has been used in the past in different diseases like the bacterial meningitis tuberculous meningitis why we use it because once the antibacterial rnt tuberculosis medications are used in these conditions then there are certain toxins and ro toxins which are released because of the death of the bacteria and the micro bacterium then
This peroid will take care of those endotoxin because if we do not give steroid in these conditions and patient can even deteriorate further other than this asthmatic and a severe a rds patient who have gone into the septic shock in those patients we were also using the dexamethasone it is normally these steroid they are released from the cortical portion of the
Adrenal glands which are sitting right on top of the kidneys so but we should always remember one thing in use of the steroid for a long period of time is not in our favor because it can aggravate your diabetes it can upset your hypertension and it can actually cause the hypertension it can cause the osteoporosis it can turn your face into the moon phase it can
Change your body habitus and you may look like buffalo and because it causes the buffalo hump it also causes the myopathy and there will be certain behavioral changes if someone is using for these medications for a long period of time these should not be stopped very abruptly because if someone is using steroid for a long time then they are to gradually taper it
Down or until one one goes to the taper off point so these are these some basic facts about the dexamethasone and i hope oxford university will be able to even release the vaccine against the cova 19 in combination with the astra zeneca which they are working very effectively on so i hope it gives some idea thank you so much for watching the video
Transcribed from video
Dexamethasone and COVID-19. By Dr muhammad afzal
