Benefits of corticosteroids for persons with traumas

The French have conducted certain researches related to pneumonia and steroids. According to the results of their researches, those who experience brain injuries may avoid complications linked with pneumonia, if they are cured with the steroid hydrocortisone. These recent researches have manifested certain positive effects of steroids for therapeutic purposes.
Pneumonia which is caused by traumatic brain injury is a dangerous disease. Unluckily, it occurs frequently. The Journal of the American Medical Association has noticed that the percentage of pneumonia which appears due to traumas is 40-60 %. It is more spread among persons that have brain injuries.
Early post-traumatic pneumonia requires serious medical care and hospitalization. The risk of death is enhanced. Undoubtedly, prevention of this disease is clinical and economic problem.
Dr. Antoine Roquilly of the University of Nantes in France has confirmed that experimental and clinical data have manifested that application of corticosteroids can decrease the occurrence as well as severity of pneumonia.
A study connected with this disease was conducted 3 years from 2006 to 2009. 150 persons that had different types of serious brain injuries were cured with the corticosteroid hydrocortisone. Other individuals with this condition were cured just with sugar pills. More than half of patients that were treated with sugar pills started to experience pneumonia over the month. As for those who were cured with the steroid 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. Furthermore, they avoided respiratory problems that troubled the individuals that were treated with sugar pills.
Dr. Lisandro Irizarry of the Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York City has stated that the research is interesting but it requires further researches in order to be claimed a part of standardized treatment.
In fact, any person that has suffered from a brain injury can confront the problem, when he/she doesn’t have ability to engage in normal oral hygiene and routine expectorating of mucus. It can lead to great amounts of bacteria. It increases the risk linked with pneumonia. So, when a body has such stress, as a trauma, some hormones, including hydrocortisone, should assist in healing. But this process can be blocked by trauma. That’s why such individual needs an external supplement of steroids for a short period of time to enhance healing responses of the body.
Although these studies have proven usefulness of the steroid hydrocortisone for individuals with brain injuries, some more researches have to be conducted. It shows that steroids have ability to save lives of people in several situations.