Publications by authors named "Helen Jeffers"
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the use of eosinophil biomarker-directed treatment with oral prednisolone during COPD exacerbations, aiming to reduce prednisolone usage while minimizing adverse effects.* -
- Conducted across 14 UK primary care practices, the STARR2 trial randomly assigned participants to either eosinophil-directed treatment or standard care, masking both staff and participants to treatment allocations.* -
- The primary outcome measured was treatment failure at 30 days, which included the need for additional antibiotics or steroids, hospitalizations, or death, with safety analyses conducted for all participants.*
Background: Multiple early reports of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 showed that patients with chronic respiratory disease were significantly under-represented in these cohorts. We hypothesised that the widespread use of inhaled glucocorticoids among these patients was responsible for this finding, and tested if inhaled glucocorticoids would be an effective treatment for early COVID-19.
Methods: We performed an open-label, parallel-group, phase 2, randomised controlled trial (Steroids in COVID-19; STOIC) of inhaled budesonide, compared with usual care, in adults within 7 days of the onset of mild COVID-19 symptoms.
Near-patient testing (NPT) allows clinical decisions to be made in a rapid and convenient manner and is often cost effective. In COPD the peripheral blood eosinophil count has been demonstrated to have utility in providing prognostic information and predicting response to treatment during an acute exacerbation. For this potential to be achieved having a reliable NPT of blood eosinophil count would be extremely useful.
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