New Delhi, October 11 (IANS). Every year more than 1 crore people are affected by Tuberculosis (TB) worldwide. Meanwhile, a new scientific study has revealed that the use of steroids can be helpful in the treatment of TB.
The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, showed that steroids, particularly a drug called dexamethasone, could prove to be a useful complementary treatment in fighting TB.
TB is an infectious disease that mainly affects the lungs. Till now it has been treated mainly with antibiotics. However, in many cases the body’s immune response is so strong that it itself starts damaging the body’s tissues. This condition is called excessive inflammatory. Steroids are used to reduce this inflammation, but now it has come to light that these drugs not only reduce inflammation, but can also help the body’s immune system fight bacteria.
The study specifically focused on immune cells called macrophages. These cells identify bacteria and other harmful things in the body and eliminate them. Scientists infected macrophages taken from blood and lung fluid with TB bacteria and then treated them with dexamethasone. During this process, it was found that when these cells were treated with steroids, their ability to kill bacteria increased.
The drug dexamethasone activates a process inside macrophages called autophagy. In this process the cell itself cleans the infected parts inside itself. Additionally, through another process called phagosomal acidification, the drug enables the cells to kill bacteria by creating an acidic environment from within.
Joseph Keane, Professor of Medicine at Trinity College, Dublin, said: “Steroids are often under-used in the treatment of TB, even though they can be very effective, especially in severe cases such as TB meningitis (which affects the brain). This study shows that steroids not only control inflammation, but also strengthen the body’s immunity.
–IANS
PK/AS