dexamethasone treatment considerably reduces the levels of some inflammatory cytokines, lactate dehydrogenase, and c-reactive protein in covid-19 pneumonia patients with pre-existing copd

Background: dexamethasone is the most widely used corticosteroid for treating covid-19 pulmonary complications. the effects of dexamethasone on serum inflammatory factors, including c-reactive protein (crp), lactate dehydrogenase (ldh), and cortisol, were evaluated in covid-19 pneumonia patients with pre-existing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd) in this study.methods: a total of 36 covid-19 patients with pneumonia who had pre-existing copd and were critically ill and 56 covid-19- positive patients without pre-existing copd were selected. a daily dose of 6–8 mg dexamethasone was administered during the hospitalization period. some inflammatory markers (tnf-α, il-10, and il-6) and the serum levels of cortisol, ldh, and crp were measured on admission and one week after hospitalization.results: tnf-α and il-6 concentrations were significantly reduced and il-10 significantly increased in all covid-19 pneumonia patients with or without pre-existing copd as a result of a daily dose of dexamethasone. also, a significant reduction in cortisol, crp, and ldh was observed following dexamethasone administration in all covid-19 pneumonia patients, with or without preexisting copd, with no correlation with gender, cigarette or waterpipe smoking, or opium abuse.conclusion: our results showed a significant increase in tnf-α, il-6, il-10, cortisol, ldh, and crp and a significant reduction in il-10 in all critically ill covid-19 pneumonia patients. dexamethasone administration significantly reduced cortisol and proinflammatory cytokines and also ldh and crp as the markers of covid-19 severity.