Steroids and pneumonia

The French have conducted certain studies connected with pneumonia and steroids. According to the results of their researches, those who have brain injuries can avoid complications connected with pneumonia, if they are cured with the steroid hydrocortisone. These latest researches have displayed several benefits of steroids for medical purposes.
Pneumonia that is caused by traumatic brain injury is a serious condition. Unfortunately, it occurs often. The Journal of the American Medical Association has noted that the percentage of pneumonia which appears due to traumas is 40-60 %. It is more spread among people who have experienced brain injuries.
Early post-traumatic pneumonia requires serious medical care and hospitalization. The risk of death is quite high. Of course, prevention of this condition is clinical as well as economic problem.
Dr. Antoine Roquilly of the University of Nantes in France has reported that experimental and clinical data have displayed that intake of corticosteroids can decrease the occurrence as well as severity of pneumonia.
A research connected with this disease was conducted 3 years from 2006 to 2009. 150 individuals who had different types of dangerous brain injuries were cured with the steroid hydrocortisone. Other persons with this disease were cured just with sugar pills. More than half of individuals that were cured with sugar pills began to suffer from pneumonia over the month. As for those who were cured with hydrocortisone, the results were more encouraging. Less than 36 % of them got pneumonia during the same period of time. Thus, they didn’t need to be ventilated mechanically. Moreover, they avoided respiratory problems which troubled the persons who were cured with sugar pills.
Dr. Lisandro Irizarry of the Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York City has noticed that the research is interesting but it requires further studies in order to be considered a part of standardized therapy.
In fact, any person that has suffered from a brain injury may confront the problem, when he/she doesn’t have ability to engage in normal oral hygiene and routine expectorating of mucus. It may lead to great amounts of bacteria. It enhances the risk linked with pneumonia. So, when a body experiences such stress, as a trauma, several hormones, including hydrocortisone, have to be involved in healing. But this process may be suppressed by trauma. That’s why such individual needs an external supplement of steroids for a short period of time in order to increase healing responses of the body.
However these studies have proven effectiveness of the steroid hydrocortisone for individuals with brain injuries, some more studies have to be conducted. It demonstrates that steroids are able to save lives of people in certain cases.