Head injury drug may reduce survival rates, says study

A MAJOR research trial has discovered that a widely-used head injury treatment does not improve survival rates and could do more harm than good.

The study, part of which took place in Ireland, discovered that 21% of people who were given corticosteroids died within two weeks compared with 18% of those on a placebo treatment.

Corticosteroids are used on patients as an anti-inflammatory treatment to reduce death and disability by preventing the potentially lethal brain swelling that occurs after head injury. Co-ordinator of the Irish part of the study, Dr Patrick Plunkett of St James’s Hospital said: “Head injury kills and maims many people in our society.