Patients on Steroids With COVID-19 Might Need Rescue Steroids

Posted on April 6, 2020 by MaryO

 

Endocrinologists have underlined the importance that physicians consider “a stress dose” of glucocorticoids in the event of severe COVID-19 infection in endocrine, and other, patients on long-term steroids.

 

People taking corticosteroids on a routine basis for a variety of underlying inflammatory conditions, such as asthma, allergies, and arthritis, are at elevated risk of being infected with, and adversely affected by, COVID-19.

 

This also applies to a rarer group of patients with adrenal insufficiency and uncontrolled Cushing syndrome, as well as secondary adrenal insufficiency occurring in hypopituitarism, who also rely on glucocorticoids for day-to-day living.

 

In the event of COVID-19, all of these individuals may be unable to mount a normal stress response, and “in the case of adrenal suppression…such patients may run into severe difficulties, particularly if on intensive care units,” warns Paul Stewart, MD, University of Leeds, UK, and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

 

As such, it is vitally important to recognize that “Injectable supplemental glucocorticoid therapy in this setting can reverse the risk of potentially fatal adrenal failure and should be considered in every case,” Stewart and colleagues emphasize in a newly published editorial in JCEM.

 

They note this advice must be considered alongside World Health Organization (WHO) guidance against prescribing therapeutic glucocorticoids to treat complications of COVID-19, based on prior experience in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome, as well as those affected by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

 

The key difference here is not to use pharmacologic doses of glucocorticoids as treatment for COVID-19 (where they have no effect), but rather to prevent death from adrenal failure by using “stress” doses of replacement glucocorticoid, Stewart explained to Medscape Medical News.

 

“No patient with a history of prior exposure to chronic glucocorticoid therapy (> 3 months)…should die without consideration” for a stress dose of replacement glucocorticoid therapy.

“The intent here is to ensure that no patient with a history of prior exposure to chronic glucocorticoid therapy (> 3 months) by whatever route should die without consideration for parenteral glucocorticoid therapy,” the editorialists write.

 

He advises using physiological stress doses of hydrocortisone (50-100 mg intravenously tid).

 

Specific Advice for Adrenal Insufficiency: Follow Sick Day Rules

 

A separate statement by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) also emphasizes that it is particularly important for patients with adrenal insufficiency to follow advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or similar guidance on preventing COVID-19 infection, including social distancing and frequent hand washing.

 

Such patients should continue to take medications as prescribed and ensure they have appropriate supplies of oral and injectable steroids, ideally for 90 days, AACE advises.

And if there is a shortage of hydrocortisone, the statement advises patients ask a pharmacist or physician about replacement hydrocortisone with different doses that might be available.

Stewart agrees that patients with adrenal insufficiency need to be hypervigilant, but says that “if they do become ill, for the most part they are well counseled to respond appropriately to intercurrent infections.”

Nevertheless, it is “invaluable to reiterate ‘sick day rules'” for suspected COVID-19 infection.

“Any patient who develops a dry continuous cough and fever should immediately double their daily oral glucocorticoid dose and continue on this regimen until the fever has subsided.”

If a patient still deteriorates on this regimen, develops diarrhea or vomiting, or is unable to take oral glucocorticoids for other reasons, they should contact their physicians or seek urgent medical care to receive parenteral treatment with a glucocorticoid.

J Clin Endocrinol Metab. Published online March 31, 2020. Position statement

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From https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/928072?nlid=134869_3901&src=wnl_newsalrt_200404_MSCPEDIT&uac=295048SY&impID=2335560&faf=1&fbclid=IwAR1zZe6fqDS3tKuHUYoFpbvBMkQYJ4JN59RzC93xdzVcGGkJIz5bnmmE4LY

Filed under: adrenal crisis, Cushing's, General Health, Treatments | Leave a comment »

Update on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Posted on March 9, 2020 by MaryO

Along with all of you, NADF is monitoring this outbreak by paying close attention to CDC and FDA updates. We have also asked our Medical Advisor to help answer your important questions as they come up.

We asked Medical Director Paul Margulies, MD, FACE, FACP to help us with this question:

Question: Does Adrenal Insufficiency cause us to have a weakened immune system and therefore make us more susceptible?

Response: Individuals with adrenal insufficiency on replacement doses of glucocorticoids do not have a suppressed immune system. The autoimmune mechanism that causes Addison’s disease does not cause an immune deficiency that would make one more likely to get an infection. The problem is with the individual’s ability to deal with the stress of an infection once it develops. Those with adrenal insufficiency fall into that category. When sick with a viral infection, they can have a more serious illness, and certainly require stress dose steroids to help to respond to the illness. If someone with adrenal insufficiency contracts the coronavirus, it is more likely to lead to the need for supportive care, including hospitalization.

This information from the CDC Website provides important information regarding Prevention & Treatment.  You can find this information here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention-treatment.html

 

From https://www.nadf.us/

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Stress, cortisol and weight gain

Posted on November 5, 2018 by MaryO

If you’ve got your finger on the pulse of health trends, it’s likely you’ve been hearing the current buzzwords “cortisol creates belly fat” and “cortisol causes muscle wasting and fat storage.” These are the type of catch phrases that gain momentum every few years. And although some of the fads and trends showing up seasonally in fitness are myths, this caution about chronically elevated cortisol is true. Cortisol is also deeply connected with the dangers of chronic inflammation, which I described in another article, “Inflammation Creates Diseases.”

Like many hormones, cortisol has an effect on a wide variety of functions in the body. Although it’s getting particularly demonized lately, cortisol serves some very important and positive functions in the body. It’s an essential component of the flight or flight response, so it gives us energy, focus, strength, motivation and courage. But, like with sugar or caffeine, it comes with a crash that feels like an emotional, psychological and physical drain. Cortisol is important for survival, but we didn’t evolve to have high levels of it all the time.

According to hormone.org, cortisol isn’t only a stress hormone: “Because most bodily cells have cortisol receptors, it affects many different functions in the body. Cortisol can help control blood sugar levels, regulate metabolism, help reduce inflammation and assist with memory formulation. It has a controlling effect on salt and water balance and helps control blood pressure. In women, cortisol also supports the developing fetus during pregnancy. All of these functions make cortisol a crucial hormone to protect overall health and well-being.”

There are many symptoms of chronically elevated cortisol levels. With that said, the way a spike of cortisol gives you a jolt of energy is by raising blood sugar. It does this by way of gluconeogenesis. This literally means “creating new sugar,” and it happens by way of breaking protein down into amino acids that are then turned into sugar by the liver. What is a large source of protein in the body? Yep, muscles. This is what is meant by “cortisol causes muscle loss.” This in turn contributes to muscle weakness. Whereas normal levels of cortisol help to regulate blood sugar levels by breaking down only a little muscle (which can be replaced with exercise), excessive levels cause muscle wasting.

Why does cortisol cause fat gain? Remember those cortisol receptors most cells have? Fat cells have four times as many, so they are particularly responsive to cortisol. Okay, remember all that glucose the cortisol surge dumped into your blood for energy? Well, that also came with an insulin response to get your blood sugar levels back down, and insulin causes energy storage. And where do you store the energy? Yep, in those hypersensitive fat cells that cortisol just turned on. And what happens when you have too much insulin over time? Yep, diabetes. Also, another reason stress can cause emotional and/or binge eating is because cortisol also fires up your sense of purpose, as well as your appetite. So now stress has made you feel motivated…to eat.

Emotionally and psychologically, chronically high cortisol can exacerbate depression, anxiety, irritability and lack of emotional control. Cortisol triggers a release of tryptophan oxygenase. This enzyme breaks down tryptophan. Tryptophan is required for creating serotonin. Serotonin gives us the ability to feel happiness, and it also affects appetite, sleep and sexual desire. Since extended exposure to high levels of cortisol inhibits the production of serotonin, all the symptoms of low serotonin become problematic (decreased appetite, insomnia, impotence, etc.). In short, prolonged stress causes depression.

Cortisol also plays a role in the circulatory system. It manipulates blood pressure by acting as a diuretic. Excess cortisol causes an electrolyte imbalance, whereby sodium is retained, but potassium is excreted. Let me take you back to your high school biology days: Muscles fire because of the sodium potassium pump. The sodium potassium pump also effects the firing of nerves, including those impulses that cause your heart to beat and your kidneys to take in water for filtration. That sodium potassium pump is important throughout the entire body, across many of its biological functions. Because cortisol increases the concentration of sodium in your body, it has a direct impact on your blood pressure. Remember why excess salt can cause high blood pressure? Because it contains sodium. For all these reasons and more, chronically elevated cortisol also causes muscle weakness (ironic, since short bursts of it temporarily increase strength).

Cortisol has other effects on minerals. According to the Hindawi Journal of Sports Medicine, “Cortisol triggers bone mineral resorption (removal) in order to free amino acids for use as an energy source through gluconeogenesis. Cortisol indirectly acts on bone by blocking calcium absorption, which decreases bone cell growth.” As you can see, excess cortisol causes osteoporosis. It also exacerbates other bone mineral density diseases, which means cortisol can leave you literally brittle with stress.

Practically anything can become a stressor in the right conditions, and fight or flight is our only biological response to stress. Some triggers of stress include conflict, worry, alcohol and drug consumption, processed foods, excess exercise (especially prolonged and repeated sessions of low-level steady-state cardio training), sleep deprivation, thirst and hunger. As much as possible, protect yourself from stress with rest, relaxation, meditation, play time and healthy foods full of antioxidants, which reduce inflammation and thus the risks for practically all diseases.

Jack Kirven completed the MFA in Dance at UCLA, and earned certification as a personal trainer through NASM. His wellness philosophy is founded upon integrated lifestyles as opposed to isolated workouts. Visit him at jackkirven.com and INTEGRE8Twellness.com.

Adapted from https://goqnotes.com/61597/stress-cortisol-and-weight-gain/

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Rally for Medical Research Hill Day

Posted on May 26, 2016 by MaryO

Held every September, this Capitol Hill Day event continues the momentum established in 2013, and includes nearly 300 national organizations coming together in support of the Rally for Medical Research.

The purpose of the Rally is to call on our nation’s policymakers to make funding for National Institutes of Health (NIH) a national priority and raise awareness about the importance of continued investment in medical research that leads to MORE PROGRESS, MORE HOPE and MORE LIVES SAVED.

The next Rally for Medical Research Hill Day is Sept. 22, 2016.

Sign up to receive updates, including a link to register once it becomes available.

Filed under: Clinical trials, General Health, Health Care, Meetings and Conferences, Rare Diseases | Tagged: , , , | Leave a comment »

Medic Alert Bracelets

Posted on February 4, 2016 by MaryO
This was posted today on Facebook from Jeannie Middlebrooks, an EMS provider.  She says “Anyone can message me with questions too!”
I have seen alot of people recently asking for advice as to what to put on their Medic Alert Bracelets, What Kind to buy, etc.
The most common things I see are that bracelets are being bought that look like “normal jewelry” because they don’t want it to stick out.
The other thing is that they are putting the IMPORTANT information on the BACK of the bracelet
Guys I have been in EMS 16 years, and recently Diagnosed SAI this past april. so I have a few things to say on this subject. You can take it for what it’s worth, but please understand this is coming from someone who lives in the heat of the moment taking care of people like us when that moment counts.. When we find an unconscious patient we have several things that we are attempting to do to save that patient, granted looking for a medic alert tag is important, but it is not more important that keeping a compromised airway open, checking vitals, getting an IV, asking family for a history, etc. Looking for a medic alert is usually done en route to the hospital if it is not blatantly obvious upon arrival.
#1 Anything that looks pictures I have posted below, I can 100% promise you, will be looked over in the heat of the moment if you are unconscious. Your family will more than likely be on edge and forget to tell us, or you will be by yourself and no one will know to tell us to look. It looks like standard jewelry.. so I’m not going to look at it.. therefore missing your life threatening emergency.. and if I am one of MILLIONS of first responders that are unfamiliar with Adrenal Insufficiency, I will NOT recognize the signs and symptoms, and you will NOT get the care you need pre-hospital.. leaving your body without the necessary cortisol for that much longer.
#2- If you place your Pertinent information on the back of your bracelet, PLEASE make sure that the medic alert symbol is on the front of the bracelet, BIG AND RED… don’t make it small and pink, or the same color as the bracelet.. yet again. we will overlook it in the moment..
#3- Necklaces are a bad idea.. They almost always get tucked into a shirt, and we almost NEVER see them. they are easily moved.
#4- Your medic alert tag should have your name. What you Suffer From, That you are Steroid Dependant. Where your Injection Kit is location (if applicable), Instructions to give the meds or you will die.. (This alerts bystanders to give you the injection as well.. I can say this because I had a bystander do it based solely on my Medic Alert tag.. she found it, drew it up, and gave it to me), and an emergency contact who can give responders information they need. If you have more than one Critical condition. List the most life threatening in order.
Please Please Please don’t take this post the wrong way. I am saying all of this coming from someone who lives in these moments every day. I know how many first responders are not familiar with the disease that can so easily kill us, and if you are willing to risk your life for the sake of a “pretty” bracelet, then I can’t stop you.. nor can anyone here.. Just know that it is a HUGE risk…

Filed under: adrenal crisis, Cushing's, General Health, pituitary, Rare Diseases | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

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