Latest research on coronavirus – 9 March 2020
We take a look at three journals papers COVID-19 that investigate the use of corticosteroids, surface contamination and the need to keep young people out of EDs
Treating patients who have mild COVID-19 with corticosteroids has little impact on their illness, Chinese research finds.
In the observational study, 11 out of the 31 patients, in hospitals in Wuhu, Anhui province, received 40mg methylprednisolone once or twice a day, for an average of five days.
The researchers found no association between the virus clearance time, length of hospital stay, and duration of symptoms with corticosteroid use.
Corticosteroids tended to be given to more symptomatic patients in a bid to avoid acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the authors noted. None of the patients in this small study developed ARDS.
