The Core

Why We Are Here => Water Cooler => Topic started by: Rupert on June 18, 2020, 07:30:01 AM

Title: An anti-inflammatory drug called dexamethasone could save lives
Post by: Rupert on June 18, 2020, 07:30:01 AM
Coronavirus: What is dexamethasone and how does it work?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53077879
A UK trial showed the drug could save lives - the first internationally to do so - and it can be used in the NHS immediately.
What is the drug?

Dexamethasone is a steroid - a medicine that reduces inflammation by mimicking anti-inflammatory hormones produced by the body.
How does it work?

This drug works by dampening down the body's immune system.

Coronavirus infection triggers inflammation as the body tries to fight it off.

But sometimes the immune system goes into overdrive and it's this reaction that can prove fatal - the very reaction designed to attack infection ends up attacking the body's own cells.
Title: Re: An anti-inflammatory drug called dexamethasone could save lives
Post by: gm66 on June 18, 2020, 10:07:40 AM
Lucy mentioned this last night, it rang a bell from my friend's asthma pumps. Good that something so easy to produce may help win the fight.