By Akanksha Singh, BDS. Reviewed by Danielle Ellis, B.Sc.
Corticosteroids have been advised as a drug to target the host immune response in patients affected with severe lung inflammation due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This treatment has been beneficial in reducing the mortality rate significantly. Corticosteroids have been in use for over 70 years and have shown some benefits in the treatment of viral pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome.
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What are Corticosteroids?
Corticosteroids are a class of hormones produced by the adrenal glands. These hormones affect fat, protein, and carbohydrate metabolism and have anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties. Some naturally occurring corticosteroids are cortisol, corticosterone, cortisone, and aldosterone. Synthetic drugs are created which mimic the effects of these natural corticosteroids, some of which are dexamethasone, prednisone, and prednisolone.
Why use Corticosteroids in COVID-19 Patients?
The causative agent of COVID-19, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a single-stranded RNA virus. It contains spike proteins on its surface, which help the virus to bind and fuse with the cell membrane. When the highly pathogenic SARS-CoV-2 enters the epithelial cells of the lungs, an inflammatory response is induced.
Following this, macrophages and dendritic cells are activated due to the release of the inflammasomes. The disease progresses to severe lung inflammation when the epithelial cells of the lungs are damaged by the inflammatory response or the invasion of the virus. Research suggests that controlling this inflammatory response could lower lung damage significantly.
Corticosteroids are routinely used to treat various inflammatory disorders and autoimmune diseases; this makes it an ideal drug to treat severe lung inflammation in COVID-19 patients.
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