As the search for a coronavirus cure carries on, doctors have resorted to using several drug treatments for patients. A few recent studies have supported the use of dexamethasone, a type of corticosteroid, which proved beneficial for the immune system.
The first dexamethasone trial from the UK was released in a complete study in the New England Journal of Medicine on July 17. Some 2,104 patients received steroid treatment while 4,321 patients received regular treatment.
Dexamethasone proved to be effective for moderate and severe cases, reducing the risk of death by 36%. Many of these patients needed mechanical ventilation at the start of the steroid treatment.
The steroid treatment, however, was not beneficial for those who did not need oxygen support or mechanical ventilation whose health improved with regular treatment. Steroids are an anti-inflammatory drug that was most effective for patients with severe inflammation in the lungs.
"It is likely that the beneficial effect of glucocorticoids (corticosteroid hormones) in severe viral respiratory infections is dependent on the selection of the right dose, at the right time, in the right patient," wrote the authors. U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. H. Clifford Lane said that larger trials should be conducted for the dexamethasone treatment.
When UK experts first announced their dexamethasone trials, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) said, "This is the first treatment to be shown to reduce mortality in patients with COVID-19 requiring oxygen or ventilator support." He openly expressed his congratulations to the UK government, the University of Oxford, medical staff, and patients "who have contributed to this lifesaving scientific breakthrough."
Immune System's Memory Cells
Another study by a team from Singapore focused on the T cells and B cells, or "memory cells," in the immune system. 23 SARS survivors from 2003 were tested to see if their immune response would recognize the virus compared to 36 COVID-19 survivors and 37 healthy individuals who weren't infected by any of the coronaviruses.
T cells of SARS survivors recognized the 2003 virus as well as the new coronavirus. Also, more than 50% of the healthy people had protective T cells meaning that they may have been exposed to one of the coronaviruses before or that people generally already have pre-existing immunity to COVID-19.
"We find the present discussion about 'antibodies are fading away' a little pointless," said the researchers. Anthony Tanoto Tan from Duke University and the National University of Singapore said, "What is important is that a level of B and T cell memory remain to be present to quickly start an effective immune response able to stopthe viral spread," T cells kill infected cells to slow down the rate of infection while instructing B cells to produce antibodies.
Detecting Severe Cases
In a study by a French team, they combined dexamethasone with interferon (IFN), or natural proteins used to treat cancers, hepatitis, AIDS, and diseases attacking the immune system. They concluded that blood levels with low IFN helped identify coronavirus patients at high risk of pneumonia and severe cases of the virus.
Those who were critically ill severely lacked IFN and needed intensive care. The team shared, "Levels of circulating Type 1 IFN could even characterize each stage of disease, with the lowest levels observed in the most severe patients."
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