The use of corticosteroid therapy to treatment COVID-19: a bibliographic review

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v12i6.42194

Keywords:

COVID-19; Treatment; Corticosteroid; Pathophysiology.

Abstract

To understand the pathophysiology of the disease and understand how drug therapies can be useful in the treatment of COVID-19, reducing or not the length of hospital stay and the need for intubation in critically ill patients, especially the use of corticosteroids. This is a descriptive and qualitative narrative bibliographical review. Conducted through research platforms such as Scielo, Pubmed and Google Scholar. The initial treatment of COVID-19 is symptomatic, including analgesics and antipyretics. There is a wide range of drugs used to combat the disease, including: IFN-α, broad-spectrum antibiotics, antimalarials and antiviral drugs, among others. The use of corticosteroids is still controversial, however, in patients with viral infections they can modulate immunity and act as anti-inflammatories. Its early use in COVID-19 can be harmful, helping viral replication and interfering with the body's immune response, causing opportunistic diseases. Also, they should not be used for more than 10 days or until discharge in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Methylprednisolone proved to be more effective than dexamethasone in reducing mortality rates and shortening the length of stay in the ICU, however, other studies have shown it to be more effective with dexamethasone. The use of corticosteroids can be beneficial for the treatment of COVID-19, however, it is important to understand when it should be introduced into the therapeutic plan and what dose should be administered so that the benefits are greater than the risks involved with this drug.

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Published

20/06/2023

How to Cite

MOREIRA, I. S. .; MACEDO, N. A. de .; FERES, D. D. S. . The use of corticosteroid therapy to treatment COVID-19: a bibliographic review. Research, Society and Development, [S. l.], v. 12, n. 6, p. e20212642194, 2023. DOI: 10.33448/rsd-v12i6.42194. Disponível em: https://rsdjournal.org/index.php/rsd/article/view/42194. Acesso em: 3 may. 2024.

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Health Sciences