What is Dexamethasone?

"Dexamethasone provides relief for inflamed areas of the body. It is used to treat a number of different conditions, such as inflammation (swelling), severe allergies, adrenal problems, arthritis, asthma, blood or bone marrow problems, kidney problems, skin conditions, and flare-ups of multiple sclerosis."

Data Source

Why This Matters

There are very few ways to improve recovery in patients with COVID-19. Dexamethasone has shown promise in helping the sickest patients get better. While this is a preliminary report, it offers hope for a potentially new way to help patients survive severe COVID-19 infections.

Why this matters

Patients on ventilators are some of the most critical COVID-19 patients. They have a high risk of mortality. In this study, researchers have found that dexamethasone helps the sickest patients the most.

What is a ventilator?

"Mechanical ventilators are machines that act as bellows to move air in and out of your lungs. Your doctor can set the ventilator to control how often it puts air into your lungs and how much air you get."

Why do ventilators matter for COVID-19?

"A ventilator pumps air—usually with extra oxygen—into patients' airways when they are unable to breathe adequately on their own. If lung function has been severely impaired—due to injury or an illness such as COVID-19—patients may need a ventilator...There is much researchers still don’t understand about COVID-19, but we do know that many who are infected with the novel coronavirus get a fever, cough, and sore throat, among other symptoms."

Author Quote

In patients hospitalized with COVID-19, dexamethasone reduced 28-day mortality among those receiving invasive mechanical ventilation or oxygen at randomization, but not among patients not receiving respiratory support.