Methylprednisolone bolus injections MAY help with COVID19 ..similar idea of suppressing immune system in severe cases but

[Jan_Noack]

jacionline.org/article/S009...

I just came across this. As far as I can see this study has not been followed up (it was done in China).? Thought it may help those on methylprednisolone injections.

They are saying that as it is given as a bolus it seems to still be allowing an immune response with an antibody build-up; whereas daily low-dose MAY reduce the immune response and not allow a normal level of antibodies to build up and slow or prevent recovery.

covid19treatmentguidelines.... the dexamethasone is given as DAILY low dose

"Continuous administration of glucocorticoids may suppress the immune system and slow down viral clearance. However, our study indicated that single-dose pulse methylprednisolone (40- 500 mg methylprednisolone) had no apparent negative impact on SARS-CoV-2 removal and production of specific IgG while effectively stopping the inflammatory cascade.

Timely and appropriate application of methylprednisolone in severe and critical patients with COVID-19 may improve outcomes and lung function without negative impacts on the production of specific IgG to SARS-CoV-2."...

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Immune suppression probably still happens with the depotmedrone and even with daily dosing of corticosteroids it does take time (depending on dose) for immune suppression to be marked. Be like most Chinese work - try to publish anything you can write a paper on and the not needing peer review for Covid stuff to get its first online exposure must be a gift to them!!!

But a very logical approach once they realised steroids might prevent progression.

[HeronNS in reply to PMRpro]

Did they not say at the beginning that steroids had not worked well, had the opposite effect in fact, when administered in an attempt to reduce inflammation associated with covid? Then as time went by more was learned, so now they seem to have found an effective way to use the steroids. I look at Worldometer every day, and am quite amazed at the graph showing deaths. In spite of literally millions more deaths now, and some countries doing their best apparently to add to the total as fast as possible, the death rate has still not reached that of the first period after the pandemic hit. Does this mean treatment has improved and more people are surviving?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to HeronNS]

The death rate early on was predominantly due to older patients. The cases now are much younger and they have learned a lot - like don't rush to put patients on ventilators. Steroids used at the right point work and so on. The virus has changed - much more infectious so lots of people get it but no more lethal so the death rate falls.