Dexamethasone added in Clinical Management Protocols for COVID-19

“Dexamethasone added in Clinical Management Protocols for COVID-19 Patients by Health Ministry”

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▪ On 27th June 2020, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released an updated Clinical Management Protocol under Dexamethasone was advised as an alternative to Methylprednisolone.

▪ Further, the Ministry has also stated that the Dexamethasone drug to be only used for COVID-19 positive patients who require oxygen support or those with an excessive inflammatory response.

✔ Background 

▪ The United Kingdom’s University of Oxford has published its report on 16th June 2020 after conducting trials on 2104 patients with 6 mg of Dexamethasone per day for a period of 10 days.  As per which, it was found that Dexamethasone has reduced mortality in COVID-19 patients who had severe respiratory complications. The drug has reduced deaths among ventilated patients by one-third.

▪ The report also stated that for patients who were not on respiratory support, the drug has shown no signs of benefit.

✔ Dexamethasone 

▪ It is a type of corticosteroid medication that is being used for the treatment of a wide range of conductions such as eye pain after eye surgery, asthma, skin diseases, etc. The steroid has immunosuppressant and anti-inflammatory effects.

✔ How COVID-19 Patients were benefited from Dexamethasone ?

▪ As Dexamethasone has immunosuppressant effects, the COVID-19 patients whose immune system rapidly produces proteins called cytokines in response to the coronavirus infection, Dexamethasone serves to dampen the too aggressive response of the immune system. 

▪️This overdrive reaction from the immune system is called ‘cytokine storm’. These cytokines when overproduced by the immune system damages cells and tissues in the body.