Dexamethasone Treatment on President Trump Indicates His Condition May Be Serious

(Photo: pixabay)

SEE MORE: Dexamethasone: A Proven Life-Saving Drug for COVID-19 Patients, According to Study

White House physician Sean Conley said that President Donald Trump has continued to show improvement in his condition since being hospitalized for symptoms of COVID-19 infection last Friday.

The steroid drug, dexamethasone, was given as part of his COVID-19 treatment in response to his blood oxygen levels dropping twice. This is considered a "multi-prong" approach to treat him and an indication that his condition was worrying. Most people are not given this drug if they are not ill enough due to the side effects of steroids which is the suppression of the immune system.

Dexamethasone is a cheap, widely available corticosteroid, that has been recently part of the biggest existing treatments to determine their effectiveness against COVID-19. The randomized study showed great promises among coronavirus patients who were treated with dexamethasone, greatly improving their survival outcomes.

Although experts from the British government has already authorized the use of this drug among some patients, it still remains unclear how the treatment would be beneficial among those with less severe cases of COVID-19.

Aside from that, there is not yet enough peer-reviewed studies conducted to prove its life-saving effects, but according to the United States' top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, this is already a significant improvement in the currently available therapeutic options.

The National Institutes of Health noted that those who are diagnosed with severe COVID-19 cases usually develop a systemic inflammatory response which may lead to lung injury and other organ dysfunctions. Based on the results of the one trial, the panel of experts from NIH recommended the administration of dexamethasone to Covid-19 patients who need oxygen but not to those who do not require supplemental oxygen.

Dangers of Using Dexamethasone

While dexamethasone reduces inflammation, it can also suppress the body's immune system and impair its ability to fight off infection.

The panel noted that in cases of severe pneumonia caused by influenza viruses, the implementation of corticosteroid therapy resulted in worse clinical outcomes, which includes secondary bacterial infection and death. This is the reason why patients who are undergoing this therapy must be closely monitored to see if the benefits of the treatment outweigh the risks involved. 

Different Opinions From Doctors on Use of Dexamethasone on Trump 

The decision to give Trump dexamethasone received different reactions from doctors. Trump's physicians said due to his blood oxygen levels dropping twice, with the blood oxygen saturation falling below 94%, dexamethasone was given.

Conley said the President was at first showing mild symptoms only with oxygen levels in the high 90s, but when he developed a high fever and his oxygen saturation dipped below 94%, supplemental oxygen was given which resulted in oxygen saturation improvements. But despite that, dexamethasone was still given. 

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, chief of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, said that based on the video posted at Walter Reed medical center, Trump did not show symptoms of shortness of breath or coughing, which made the use of dexamethasone questionable, as this drug is only suggested for people with severe symptoms.  

MORE ON: COVID-19 Vaccine Could Be a Logistical Nightmare

Check out more news and information on Dexamethasone on MD News Daily.