Coronavirus: Inhaling this can reduce COVID severity by 90 per cent, claims study

The process of vaccination has started across countries and vaccines are being administered first to the frontline workers including doctors, nurses, army and other people taking care of COVID patients. And until the vaccination drive is complete for all of us, it is important for all of us to be extra cautious.

In search for other ways to lessen the COVID related symptoms, a new potential covid treatment has emerged. Read ahead to know what it is.

Traditionally used to treat asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), using an inhaler is the new way to lessen the severity of COVID symptoms, finds a new study.

According to a new study conducted by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), the drug budesonide was found to reduce the risk of severe COVID illness by 90 per cent.

For the study, 146 people were observed. Half of the people were given a budesonide inhaler twice a day with a dose of 800 micrograms. The other half were given a placebo for 28 days. People who took the inhaler were not just 90 per cent less likely to require urgent care but they also reported shorter fever lengths and lesser long-term symptoms.

Experts say persistent symptoms after the illness has emerged as a long-term problem. And these inhalers can help in preventing that.

The study was inspired by the observation that only a few chronic asthma patients were being admitted to the hospital during the early months of the pandemic, which was contrary to what was expected. It was after this study that experts found that it was due to the use of corticosteroid inhalers, which prevented more serious respiratory effects in these patients.

The study has yet not been peer-reviewed.

Colchicine

Apart from budesonide, there are many other drugs in the market that can help fight COVID. As per a recent Canadian study, which is yet to be peer-reviewed, the anti-inflammatory gout medication called colchicine could also significantly cut the rate of hospitalisation and death from the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The drug is also cheap, can be given orally and has lesser-known side effects. Groups given this drug had fewer pneumonia cases and reduced need for oxygen support.

A new study has found that people who take aspirin may experience better COVID outcomes than people who do not consume aspirin.

In a study published in the journal Anesthesia and Analgesia, the medical records of more than 400 coronavirus patients were evaluated. Among these people, patients who took a daily dose of aspirin were found to be 43 per cent less likely to be transferred to ICU and 44 per cent less likely to be placed on a ventilator. These people were also 47 per cent less likely to die from the coronavirus as compared to people who did not take the drug.

According to a December study, a simple nasal spray can have a profound effect on the novel coronavirus. The xlear nasal spray was found to greatly reduce the amount of the active COVID virus in just 25 minutes.

Blood clots are a common occurrence with COVID, which affects around one-third of the severe patients. Thus, blood thinners can be an easy way to reduce complications.

According to a study published in The BMJ, researchers examined 4,297 COVID patients from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it was found that people who were given blood thinner within 24 hours of being admitted to the hospital, their death risk was reduced by 34 per cent as compared to people who were not given blood thinners.

Disclaimer

The views expressed in this article should not be considered as a substitute for physician's advice. Please consult your treating physician for more details.