Hydrocortisone is effective for treatment of persons with brain injuries

The French have conducted some researches related to pneumonia and steroids. According to the results of their researches, those who have brain injuries can avoid complications connected with pneumonia, if they are treated with the steroid hydrocortisone. These recent researches have displayed some benefits of steroids for clinical purposes.
Pneumonia which is caused by traumatic brain injury is a serious condition. Unluckily, it occurs frequently. The Journal of the American Medical Association has noted that the percentage of pneumonia that occurs due to traumas is 40-60 %. It is more spread among people that have brain injuries.
Early post-traumatic pneumonia requires serious medical care and hospitalization. The risk of death is quite high. Of course, prevention of this condition is clinical as well as economic issue.
Dr. Antoine Roquilly of the University of Nantes in France has claimed that experimental and clinical data have shown that intake of corticosteroids can decrease the occurrence and severity of pneumonia.
A study linked with this problem was conducted 3 years from 2006 to 2009. 150 individuals who experienced different types of dangerous brain injuries were cured with the corticosteroid hydrocortisone. Other patients with this disease were cured only with sugar pills. Over half of persons that were given sugar pills started to experience pneumonia over the month. As for those who were treated with hydrocortisone, the results were more promising. Less than 36 % of them got pneumonia during the same period of time. So, they didn’t need to be ventilated mechanically. Furthermore, they avoided respiratory problems which troubled the persons that were cured with sugar pills.
Dr. Lisandro Irizarry of the Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York City has noted that the research is interesting but it requires further researches in order to be claimed a part of usual treatment.
 Actually, any person that has experienced a brain injury can confront the problem, when he/she doesn’t have capacity to engage in normal oral hygiene and routine expectorating of mucus. It may lead to great amounts of bacteria. It increases the risk of pneumonia. So, when a body experiences such stress, as a trauma, certain hormones, including hydrocortisone, have to assist in healing. But this process can be blocked by trauma. That’s why such person needs an external supplement of steroids for a short period of time in order to increase healing responses of the body.
However these studies have proven effectiveness of the steroid hydrocortisone for individuals with brain injuries, some more studies have to be conducted. It shows that steroids can save lives of people in certain cases.