Effectiveness of steroids for persons with brain injuries

The French have conducted several researches linked 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 recent researches have demonstrated several positive effects of steroids for therapeutic purposes.
Pneumonia that is caused by traumatic brain injury is a dangerous disease. Unluckily, it occurs often. The Journal of the American Medical Association has noted that the percentage of pneumonia which occurs due to traumas is 40-60 %. It is more spread among people who have brain injuries.
Early post-traumatic pneumonia requires serious medical care and hospitalization. The risk of death is quite high. Undoubtedly, prevention of this condition is clinical as well as economic issue.
Dr. Antoine Roquilly of the University of Nantes in France has reported that experimental and clinical data have manifested that usage of corticosteroids can decrease the appearing and severity of pneumonia.
A study related to this problem was conducted 3 years from 2006 to 2009. 150 individuals that experienced different types of serious brain injuries were treated with the steroid hydrocortisone. Other persons with this condition were cured just with sugar pills. More than half of persons that were cured with sugar pills began to suffer from pneumonia over the month. As for those who were cured with the steroid hydrocortisone, the results were more promising. 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 that troubled the persons that were given 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 researches in order to be considered a part of usual treatment.
In fact, any person that has suffered from a brain injury may confront the problem, when he/she doesn’t have capacity to engage in usual oral hygiene and routine expectorating of mucus. It may lead to great amounts of bacteria. It increases the risk linked with pneumonia. So, when a body experiences such stress, as a trauma, some hormones, including hydrocortisone, have to assist in healing. But this process can be suppressed by trauma. That’s why such patient needs an external supplement of steroids for a short period of time in order to increase healing responses of the body.
Although these researches have proven usefulness of the steroid hydrocortisone for persons with brain injuries, some more researches have to be conducted. It demonstrates that steroids have ability to save lives of people in several situations.