Cortisone is said to help against pneumonia

Cortisone is said to help against pneumonia

01/19/2015

According to a new study, pneumonia works faster when cortisone is added to antibiotics during therapy. This combination could lead to huge cost savings. But cortisone is controversial because of its side effects.

Pneumonia heals faster thanks to cortisone
According to a long-term study at seven Swiss hospitals, pneumonia can be cured faster if cortisone (or cortisone) is added to the usual therapy with antibiotics. The results of the investigation were published on Monday in the journal „The Lancet“ released. Thanks to this combination therapy, savings of up to 20 million Swiss francs (nearly 20 million euros) could be achieved in Switzerland alone, as the Swiss Internet portal „20Minuten.ch“ writes. The study was initiated by the University Hospital Basel (USB). In total, more than 800 patients from seven hospitals were included between 2009 and 2014.

Patients recover faster
As the USB announced, was the idea to use cortisone for pneumonia, not new, but had previously lacked clear data. Now Mirjam Christ-Crain has delivered the hoped-for proof with her research network. It is said that her study will probably treat pneumonia „change worldwide“. According to USB, patients with cortisone recover an average of one and a half days faster and could be released from the hospital after six days instead of seven days. In addition, thanks to cortisone, the usual duration of intravenous administration of antibiotics can be shortened by one day to four days.

Combination of antibiotics and cortisone
All patients included in the study received antibiotics. Half of the subjects received cortisone, while the other participants received a placebo. In comparison of the two groups, the better effect was evident in the combined drug administration. According to the USB, another positive effect was a smaller risk of worsening the disease. In addition, the study had no relevant side effects because treatment with cortisone was limited to seven days.

Drug controversial because of side effects
Because of the side effects of cortisone, the drug is very controversial. The researchers were able to determine that. „Many did not want to attend because cortisone has a bad image“, Christ-Cain said loudly „Basellandliche newspaper“. However, as the scientist explained, there are usually few adverse effects associated with short-term use. Thus, some of the patients had only temporarily elevated blood sugar levels. Long-term therapies with cortisone are suspected, among other things, to promote hypertension and cause edema. In addition, there is a risk of gastritis or gastric ulcer.

Pneumonia is often not diagnosed correctly
Around 680,000 people in Germany suffer from pneumonia every year. It is estimated that about 35,000 patients die each year. The infectious disease is often not properly diagnosed or mistreated according to experts. Especially in older patients, the question arises: "How do I recognize pneumonia?" often difficult. While symptoms of fever, chills and respiratory problems are usually clear in younger people, seniors often lack individual symptoms. In addition, due to the general frailty, the elders are sometimes misinterpreted. (Ad)