We are honoured to share the news about a groundbreaking study led by a St Catherine’s community parent, Dr Ploutarchos Tzoulis, Consultant Endocrinologist & Diabetologist Hon. Associate Professor in Endocrinology at UCL (University College London) Medical School. For the first time Dr Tzoulis and his team showed that abnormal sodium levels in the blood can predict poor outcomes in patients with COVID-19, facilitating patients’ risk stratification and guiding clinical decision-making. Their novel findings can have direct impact on day-to-day patient care and improve patient outcomes.

 “This study shows for the first time that patients presenting at the hospital with COVID-19 and low sodium are twice as likely to need intubation or other means of advanced breathing support as those with normal sodium.” – Ploutarchos Tzoulis, MD, PhD, MSc, honorary associate professor in endocrinology, University College London (UCL) Medical School, London, U.K.

As Dr Tzoulis mentions, this study has been widely acclaimed and was published in the world’s leading journal for clinical endocrinology, ‘’Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism’’. Amongst more than 2,000 studies, the American Endocrine Society has singled out this research as particularly newsworthy for special media attention, leading to a dedicated press release. Read the press release by the American Endocrine Society, which is the largest scientific society for Endocrinology in the world, based in the US, including a community of 18,000 Endocrinologists across the world.  Dr Tzoulis and his team have gained international publicity, with more than 20 international news outlets presenting their findings.

“In my mind, it can set an example for what opportunities our school’s students can have and what they can achieve in the academic environment of a British university. It also serves as a reminder that the UK plays a leading role in the world’s fight against the pandemic, in line with Oxford vaccine, a number of key contributions to the world knowledge about treating the COVID-19, etc.” Dr Tzoulis mentions.