People on steroids for chronic illness may be more at risk of COVID-19

An editorial of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) has suggested that people who take the class of steroid hormones known as glucocorticoids may be more likely to contract COVID-19 and, if they do, are more likely to have severe symptoms. Glucocorticoids are frequently a medication doctors prescribe for chronic inflammatory diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and inflammatory bowel disease.

As the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus rapidly spreads across the world, research continues apace to help understand how the virus spreads and what effects it has on people who then develop the disease COVID-19.

Drawing on this emergent research, the editors of the JCEM highlight the possible relationship between the corticosteroids glucocorticoids and COVID-19.

Doctors widely prescribe glucocorticoids for various chronic inflammatory diseases, and they can be highly effective in the treatment of these illnesses. The reason for this is that they significantly reduce inflammation. A further association with this, however, is their suppression of a person’s immune system.

According to the editors of the JCEM, this means people who regularly take glucocorticoids may be more likely to experience an infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus since their immune systems are likely to be less effective at fighting it off.

This may also mean that a person taking glucocorticoids will experience a more severe case of COVID-19 from infection with the virus.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) currently recommend against the use of glucocorticoids to treat COVID-19.