Anti-inflammatory
Dexamethasone is used to treat many inflammatory and autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis and bronchospasm.[23] Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, a decrease in numbers of platelets due to an immune problem, responds to 40 mg daily for four days; it may be administered in 14-day cycles. It is unclear whether dexamethasone in this condition is significantly better than other glucocorticoids.[24]
It is also given in small amounts before and/or after some forms of dental surgery, such as the extraction of the wisdom teeth, an operation that often causes puffy, swollen cheeks.[25]
Dexamethasone is commonly given as a treatment for croup in children. A single dose can reduce the swelling of the airway to improve breathing and reduce discomfort.[26]
Dexamethasone is sometimes injected into the heel when treating plantar fasciitis or heel pain, sometimes in conjunction with triamcinolone acetonide. There is no evidence that this treatment helps in the long term, however, dexamethasone may provide short-term pain relief.[27]
It may be useful to counteract allergic anaphylactic shock, however this is not usually recommended by clinical guidelines.[28]
It is present in certain eye drops – particularly after eye surgery – and as a nasal spray, and certain ear drops (can be combined with an antibiotic and an antifungal). Dexamethasone intravitreal steroid implants have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat ocular conditions such as diabetic macular edema, central retinal vein occlusion, and uveitis. However, the evidence is poor quality relating to the treatment of uveitis, with the potential side effects (cataract progression and raised intraocular pressure) being significant, and the benefits not certainly greater than standard treatment.[29] Dexamethasone has also been used with antibiotics to treat acute endophthalmitis.[30]
Dexamethasone is used in transvenous screw-in cardiac pacing leads to minimize the inflammatory response of the myocardium. The steroid is released into the myocardium as soon as the screw is extended and can play a significant role in minimizing the acute pacing threshold due to the reduction of inflammatory response. The typical quantity present in a lead tip is less than 1.0 mg.
Dexamethasone may be administered before antibiotics in cases of bacterial meningitis. Gram-negative bacteria — to which the causative agent of bacterial meningitis, Neisseria meningitidis, belongs — have highly immunogenic lipopolysaccharides as a component of their cell membrane and trigger a strong inflammatory response. Pre-administration of dexamethasone before the administration of antibiotics acts to reduce that response, thus reducing hearing loss and neurological damage.[31]
Cancer
People with cancer undergoing chemotherapy are often given dexamethasone to counteract certain side effects of their antitumor treatments. Dexamethasone can increase the antiemetic effect of 5-HT3 receptor antagonists, such as ondansetron.[32] The exact mechanism of this interaction is not well-defined, but it has been theorized that this effect may be due to, among many other causes, inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis, anti-inflammatory effects, immunosuppressive effects, decreased release of endogenous opioids, or a combination of the aforementioned.[33]
In brain tumors (primary or metastatic), dexamethasone is used to counteract the development of edema, which could eventually compress other brain structures.[34] It is also given in cord compression, where a tumor is compressing the spinal cord. Evidence on the safety and efficacy of using dexamethasone to treat malignant brain tumors is not clear.[35]
COVID-19
Dexamethasone is recommended by the National Health Service in the UK and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US for people with COVID-19 who need either mechanical ventilation or supplemental oxygen (without ventilation).[37][38]
The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guideline panel suggests the use of glucocorticoids for people with severe COVID-19, defined as people with SpO2 ≤94% on room air, and those who require supplemental oxygen, mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).[39] The IDSA recommends against the use of glucocorticoids for those with COVID-19 without hypoxemia requiring supplemental oxygen.[39]
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends systemic corticosteroids rather than no systemic corticosteroids for the treatment of people with COVID-19 (strong recommendation, based on moderate certainty evidence).
Surgery
Dexamethasone is used fairly regularly, often as a single intravenous dose, during surgery to prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting, manage pain, potentially reduce the amount of pain medication required, and help reduce post-surgery hospitalisation time. The adverse effects of taking steroids after surgery on wound healing, blood sugar levels, and in diabetics are not completely understood; however, dexamethasone likely does not increase the risk of postoperative infections.[50]
Endocrine
Dexamethasone is the treatment for the very rare disorder of glucocorticoid resistance.[51][52]
In adrenal insufficiency and Addison's disease, dexamethasone is prescribed when the patient does not respond well to prednisone or methylprednisolone.
It can be used in congenital adrenal hyperplasia in older adolescents and adults to suppress adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) production. It is typically given at night.[53]
Pregnancy
Dexamethasone may be given to women at risk of delivering prematurely to promote maturation of the fetus's lungs. This administration, given from one day to one week before delivery, has been associated with low birth weight, although not with increased rates of neonatal death.[54]
Dexamethasone has also been used during pregnancy as an off-label prenatal treatment for the symptoms of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) in female babies. CAH causes a variety of physical abnormalities, notably ambiguous genitalia. Early prenatal CAH treatment has been shown to reduce some CAH symptoms, but it does not treat the underlying congenital disorder. This use is controversial: it is inadequately studied, only around one in ten of the fetuses of women treated are at risk of the condition, and serious adverse events have been documented.[55] Experimental use of dexamethasone in pregnancy for fetal CAH treatment was discontinued in Sweden when one in five cases had adverse events.[56]
A small clinical trial found long-term effects on verbal working memory among the small group of children treated prenatally, but the small number of test subjects means the study cannot be considered definitive.
High-altitude illnesses
Dexamethasone is used in the treatment of high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE), as well as high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE).[59] It is commonly carried on mountain-climbing expeditions to help climbers deal with complications of altitude sickness.[60][61]
Nausea and vomiting
Intravenous dexamethasone is effective for the prevention of nausea and vomiting in people who had surgery and whose post-operative pain was treated with long-acting spinal or epidural spinal opioids.[62]
The combination of dexamethasone and a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist such as ondansetron is more effective than a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist alone in preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting.[63]
Sore throat
A single dose of dexamethasone or another steroid speeds the improvement of a sore throat.[64]
