BACKGROUND: Worldwide, millions of @entity1 are treated each year for significant @entity542 . A substantial proportion die, and many more are disabled. If short term corticosteroid infusion could be reliably shown to reduce these risks by just a few percent then this might affect the treatment of a few hundred thousand @entity1 a year, protecting thousands from @entity204 or long term disability. STUDY DESIGN: @entity4445 is a large simple, placebo-controlled trial of the effects of a 48-hour infusion of @entity288 on @entity204 and on @entity16 , among adults with @entity542 and some @entity1662 . Head injured @entity1 with @entity1662 who are judged to be 16 years or older are eligible if the responsible doctor is, for any reason, substantially uncertain whether or not to use @entity288 . ORGANISATION: The @entity4445 trial will determine reliably the effects on @entity204 and disability of a short corticosteroid infusion following significant @entity542 . To detect or refute improvements of only a few percent in outcome, many thousands of acute @entity542 @entity1 must be randomised between control and @entity134 infusions. Such large numbers will be possible only if hundreds of doctors and nurses can collaborate in the participating emergency departments. Since they are busy, and working in emergency situations, the trial involves them in almost no extra work: no special investigations or changes to usual management are required, and data collection is absolutely minimal. The trial is on-going and new collaborators are welcome. Further information about the trial is available at http://www. @entity4445 .lshtm.ac.uk

The XXXX trial protocol (Corticosteroid randomisation after significant @entity542 ) [ISRCTN74459797].

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients', 'people'] @entity16 :: ('MESH:D009422', 'Disease') :: ['neurological disability'] @entity542 :: ('MESH:D006259', 'Disease') :: ['head injury'] @entity4445 :: ('80150', 'Gene') :: ['crash', 'CRASH'] @entity134 :: ('CHEBI:35341', 'Chemical') :: ['steroid'] @entity1662 :: ('MESH:D003244', 'Disease') :: ['impairment of consciousness', 'impaired consciousness'] @entity204 :: ('MESH:D003643', 'Disease') :: ['death'] @entity288 :: ('MESH:D000305', 'Chemical') :: ['corticosteroids']
@entity4445 :: (80150,Gene) :: ['CRASH']
