NEW DELHI: After recovering from Covid-19, patients should avoid indiscriminate use of steroids and vitamins, especially vitamin D, as it could lead to long-term harmful effects. A day after revised guidelines were issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on the risk of secondary infections like mucormycosis when injected steroids of a higher dose than required, doctors from the premier hospital on Wednesday re-emphasised that these should not be considered as “wonder drugs.”
Dr Saurabh Mittal, assistant professor in the Department of Pulmonary Medicines at AIIMS, said there should not be misuse of steroids as it could lead to worsening radiological abnormalities. “In only a few cases, the use of steroids is advised, and not in all cases,” he said at an interactive webinar on post-Covid management.
Stressing that there was “not enough evidence to show the use of steroids to be helpful,” he said they are seeing a surge of post-Covid patients, who underwent long treatment during the first and second waves of the pandemic, showing various pulmonary, neurological, cardio and psychological problems.
“Most of the post-Covid patients have complained of fatigue, chest pain, palpitation, anxiety, poor cardiac functions, dyspnea (shortness of breath), headache, UTI (urinary tract infections), bacterial infections, herpes etc.” Talking about the abuse of vitamin D, Dr Anant Mohan, head and professor in the Pulmonary Department, emphasised that most people are considering it as a wonder drug. “But it has no role to play in handling Covid.”
Mittal said the government has come out with guidelines on avoiding prescribing steroids and advised those with mild symptoms but suffering from breathing difficulties, high-fever, or severe cough lasting more than five days to seek medical help.