Parenteral Hydrocortisone treatment in a COVID-19 patient with Respiration Distress –a case report

Abstract A prospective case report study that showed the response of intravenously administered Hydrocortisone on a patient admitted to the Elekahia COVID-19 treatment centre, located in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. The patient was a 47-year-old man of Asian descent; he presented with pneumonia-like symptoms and developed severe breathlessness. Treatment started on 6th June 2020 and ended on the 16th of June 2020. There was a marked improvement in peripheral capillary oxygen saturation (SpO2) after hydrocortisone intervention; respiratory rate reduced from 40 cycles per minute to 18 cycles per minute, and the patient could complete sentences without developing breathlessness, three hours after receiving the first dose of intravenous hydrocortisone. The use of Hydrocortisone therapy could be of tremendous benefit in the treatment of COVID-19 patients, who present with severe respiratory distress. Controlled randomised clinical trials are required for the proper assessment of steroid use in COVID-19 treatment. and to assess its use as a prophylactic in the early management of severe COVID-19 cases.