Doctors from St. Matthew's Hospital in Pavia, Italy.

-

LaPresse / Sipa USA / SIPA

Good news in the fight against the coronavirus.

Hydrocortisone, an inexpensive steroid, can reduce the risk of death of patients with severe forms of Covid-19 disease by around 20%, according to a study in the United Kingdom, where this treatment will now be used by doctors.

Hydrocortisone, an anti-inflammatory drug widely used in the medical field, makes it possible to increase "the chances of survival" but also "to accelerate the recovery" of patients with the most severe forms of the new coronavirus, explained Thursday to the 'AFP Anthony Gordon, researcher from Imperial College London, at the head of the British team participating in this international study.

About 1 in 12 patients would be saved

Researchers tested the effects of seven different steroids on 403 patients with severe forms of the virus.

These tests conducted in 88 British hospitals have demonstrated the effectiveness of hydrocortisone, which would save around 1 in 12 patients.

"For patients who were not treated with this steroid, about 40% of them died from a severe form of Covid-19," Anthony Gordon told AFP.

"In the group to whom we gave this steroid, only 32% of them died."

According to the researcher, this difference of eight points is equivalent to a reduction of "20% of the risk of mortality".

"Not a treatment to be used at home"

The Director General of the British Health Service (NHS) Simon Stevens on Wednesday announced in a statement "immediate measures to ensure that patients who could benefit from treatment with hydrocortisone" receive it, hailing this "additional weapon in the arsenal of the global fight against Covid-19 ”.

For Gordon, the "main utility" of this product will be to replace another steroid already recognized to be effective, dexamethasone, in order to alleviate the "problem of drug stocks", the main difficulty during a global pandemic which affects " millions of patients ”.

"This is not a treatment that can be used at home to prevent coronavirus or to treat mild symptoms," he cautioned, however, recalling that there had been no trials on cases outside the hospital and that the steroid was reserved for the most severe cases.

Society

Coronavirus in Ariège: A nursery closes after the discovery of a positive case

Sport

Coronavirus in football: Le Havre training center closed after several positive cases

  • Covid 19

  • Drug

  • Society

  • Coronavirus

  • Health