STEROIDS can reduce the risk of death from Covid-19 by up to 20 per cent, an Oxford study has found.

Patients, NHS trusts and local research teams in Oxfordshire have contributed important data to new global research, which shows that corticosteroids can significantly help severely ill patients.

These steroids differ from anabolic steroids, which are used to increase muscle size, and are more often used to treat asthma, hay fever and eczema.

The research papers were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) today and reinforce evidence that the widely available drugs can help patients, with one paper suggesting the risk of death can be reduced by up to 20 per cent.

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Ten patients at the John Radcliffe Hospital, run by Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, were recruited for the study.

The papers include findings from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) supported REMAP-CAP study, which is being conducted in 15 countries around the world, and led in the UK from the NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre.

The results from the REMAP-CAP trial show that among critically ill patients, a seven-day treatment of hydrocortisone improved survival rates and rapid recovery, compared with no hydrocortisone treatment. 

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Dr Matt Rowland, the principal investigator for the study at the John Radcliffe Hospital, said: “We’re proud to have participated in the REMAP-CAP study to help improve outcomes in the most critically unwell patients with Covid.

“This once again shows the benefit of the collaborative approach to Covid research we’ve seen across the UK.”

An additional paper, coordinated by the World Health Organisation, and led by researchers at the University of Bristol and the NIHR’s Bristol Biomedical Research Centre, provides a meta-analysis of global steroid use across seven trials.

It also included data from REMAP-CAP and the NIHR-funded ‘recovery’ trial, which has already shown that the steroid dexamethasone can be used to treat moderate to severe coronavirus patients.

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This study concluded that corticosteroids can also reduce the risk of death in the most ill patients by up to 20 per cent.

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, deputy chief medical officer for England, said: “These findings offer further evidence that corticosteroids can be an important part of Covid-19 treatment for severe patients.

“Both the REMAP-CAP and the Bristol University papers show the important work that has been done here in the UK by researchers in making further major contributions towards the international evidence.

“It is impressive to see so many UK participants willing to take part in studies, and able to volunteer due to the rapid recruitment response of the NIHR’s Clinical Research Network.

“Research such as this, will make the difference in controlling this virus.”