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Dexamethasone is a fluorinated glucocorticoid medication [10] used to treat rheumatic problems, a number of skin diseases, severe allergies, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), croup, brain swelling, eye pain following eye surgery, superior vena cava syndrome (a complication of some forms of cancer), [11] and along with antibiotics in tuberculosis. [10]
Dexamethasone is an exogenous steroid that provides negative feedback to the pituitary gland to suppress the secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). Specifically, dexamethasone binds to glucocorticoid receptors in the anterior pituitary gland, which lie outside the blood–brain barrier , resulting in regulatory modulation.
Common corticosteroids include dexamethasone and betamethasone. Dexamethasone is often recommend over the latter due to its increased efficacy and safety, wide availability, and low cost, [27] while betamethasone is better at preventing the softening of the brain in premature fetuses. [28]
Two dexamethasone suppression tests (DSTs) are generally used, the overnight test and the 48 hour test. [8] For both tests, a plasma cortisol level above 50 nmol/L is indicative of Cushing's disease. [8] However, 3–8% of patients with Cushing's disease will test negative due to a retention of dexamethasone suppression abilities. [8]
Patients are usually given supplemental oxygen and dexamethasone as well. HACE can be prevented by ascending to heights slowly to allow the body more time to acclimatize. Acetazolamide also helps prevent the condition. Untreated patients usually die within 48 hours. Those who receive treatment may take weeks to fully recover.
Dexamethasone – a synthetic glucocorticoid binds more powerfully to the glucocorticoid receptor than cortisol does. Dexamethasone is based on the cortisol structure but differs at three positions (extra double bond in the A-ring between carbons 1 and 2 and addition of a 9-α-fluoro group and a 16-α-methyl substituent).
Premedication before chemotherapy for cancer often consists of drug regimens (usually 2 or more drugs, e.g. dexamethasone, diphenhydramine and omeprazole) given to a patient minutes to hours before the chemotherapy to avert side effects or hypersensitivity reactions (i.e. allergic reactions). [citation needed]
The term 'hyper' refers to the hyperfractionated nature of the chemotherapy, which is given in smaller doses, more frequently, to minimize side effects. 'CVAD' is the acronym of the drugs used in course A: cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin (also known by its trade name, Adriamycin), and dexamethasone.