Is Cortisone Effective in COVID-19 Cases?

A friend of mine in Palestine contracted corona, and his oxygen level dropped below 90, causing him to struggle to breathe, to the point where he needed oxygen. Despite this, many doctors warned him against taking cortisone, considering it "very dangerous," and they wanted the lungs to clean themselves on their own. Another doctor prescribed him cortisone (Dexamethasone), but my friend was afraid to take it due to the warnings from others.

My friend's condition deteriorated, and he was admitted to the hospital, only improving after starting Dexamethasone, thank God.

So I say, dear people: This fear of cortisone is never justified! And delaying it in such cases is never justified.

I am talking about the different forms of cortisone (Dexamethasone, Prednisone, methylprednisolone, hydrocortisone), which are marketed under different brand names, of course.

Cortisone is one of the most effective drugs in advanced cases of COVID-19, and global treatment guidelines, such as those from the National Institutes of Health in America, recommend it with a high level of recommendation. Neither excess nor deficiency. In mild cases, there is no justification for giving cortisone; it has general health side effects and the possibility of weakening the immune system to resist the virus in the early days.

However, in cases where oxygen levels drop below 94%, with other indicators such as a respiratory rate of more than 30 breaths per minute or pulmonary edema of more than 50%, the disease is classified as severe (severe), and cortisone should not be delayed in this case.

Similarly, in cases that require hospitalization and the patient needs oxygen, even if it is relatively mild (not high flow rate), the guidelines recommend cortisone. With the reminder that many cases considered in America to require hospitalization are not admitted in our countries.

All objections to giving cortisone in these cases are not medically justified. The side effects of cortisone, such as increased blood pressure and increased blood sugar, can be compensated by increasing the doses of medications and converting diabetic patients to insulin if necessary. The effects on the eye, such as glaucoma (increased intraocular pressure), for example, for those who already have this problem, should be monitored and can be treated. The fear of ulcers can be treated with acid secretion inhibitors such as PPIs.

As for the idea that cortisone at this stage weakens the immune system to resist the virus, the nature of the disease is that after about a week, the virus is declining, and the main problem is the resulting immune response, which requires cortisone if the aforementioned problems are present.

May the healers fear God and follow the published research and treatment guidelines. I would not have thought that after more than a year of the disease, these mistakes still exist, and God is the one we seek help from.

Note: This is not a call for patients to take cortisone on their own, but to help them if they fall into confusion from differing opinions of doctors.

Share it, perhaps it will help save lives.