Steroids are anti-inflammatory drugs that can prevent or decrease the inflammation in many diseases. They are very useful drugs but to be used with extreme caution doctors found that these drugs are helpful in treating critically ill covid patients and proved to be life saving in many cases.
Can home isolated patients be given steroids
But its important to understand that patients not requiring oxygen support did not benefit from steroids. Mild cases of covid-19 infection should not be treated with steroids. In cases of moderate degree of pneumonia and decreasing oxygen saturation steroids can be used with extreme caution as advised by the treating physician.
Steroids use in pregnant patient of corona
Steroids like betamethasone and dexamethasone are routinely used to treat pregnant women with pre mature onset of labour or delivery given its potential benefits and safety, dexamethasone is recommended for pregnant women who are on mechanical ventilation and oxygen therapy.
Side effects of steroids
Every drug has its side effects. Given its potential benefit in saving life of moderate to severely ill patients steroids are used in treating corona infection. The treatment duration is short hence high dosage for short term use are not associated with very serious side effects. However shot duration may cause temporary effects like high blood sugar and high blood pressure, loss of sleep, psychological effects, increased appetite, weight gain and secondary infections.
Prolonged use of steroids (more than 2 weeks) may be associated with adverse effects like hypertension, glaucoma, mood swings, confusions, mental irritation, increased risk of superimposed infection with bacteria and fungus.
Steroids use in diabetic patients
Steroid use in diabetic patient should be under strict supervision of the treating doctor. It raises blood sugars to very high levels which requires further treatment of blood sugar with insulin and increasing dose of antidiabetic drugs. These patients require monitoring of blood sugar level at regular intervals.
Steroids and black fungus
High dose use of steroids along with high antibiotics, antivirals gives rise to life threatening fungal infections. Mucormycosis or black fungus is very rare fungal infection affecting sinuses, brain, lungs and can be life threatening in diabetic or severely immunocompromised patients.
Signs of Mucormycosis infection are blood in sputum, pain and swelling around the eyes, headaches, loss of vision, reddish blue discoloration of the skin overlying sinuses.
Very informative and lucid. Thank you Dr. Shashi.
Well described Article. I have read both the article and able to understand very well. It is written in very simple language so that the people could understand!