Steroid treatment during the COVID-19 crisis

Thursday 25th June 2020

We have been receiving reports of HG sufferers being refused steroid treatment during the COVID-19 crisis due to to the medication suppressing the immune system.

We sought a advice from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists RCOG COVID-19 Support Team who have said the following,

“Oral steroids are given to a small number of women with severe hyperemesis as a third line treatment in hospital as per the RCOG GTG guidelines. According to the government websites, taking oral steroids >20mg daily (the usual starting dose in HG is 40-50mg) does suppress the immune system and these patients (receiving steroids) would be advised to ‘shield’, however the benefits of treatment outweigh the risks as long as the patient is counselled and is aware of the implications.
Treatment should be a joint decision between patient and clinician and should not be denied just because of the immunosuppressant effects especially now that shielding guidance is set to be relaxed.”