Head injury treatment is not helpful

By Geoff Michaels, | Health | 0 Comments

A study shows that treating head injury with steroids actually increases mortality.
It has long been the practice to give people with a severe head injury steroids, because of their anti-inflammatory action. A new study led by doctors at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine reveals that these drugs seem to do more harm than good.

Over 10,000 adults - from 239 hospitals in 49 countries - were assigned to either methylprednisolone, which is a steroid, or to placebo, for 48 hours following emergency admission. The death rate among those on the steroid was 21 per cent, within two weeks, compared to 18 per cent among those on placebo.

Clearly the policy of routine use of steroids in head injury needs re-thinking. Further analysis will show what happened to those on steroids who survived - whether the drug proved useful in the long-term. The researchers suggest that similar trials should be done to check the value of other treatments that are commonly given to those with a head injury.