thereby reduce progression to respiratory failure and death

[GoodTaste]

I don't understand why "progression" is used without "the" if it particularly refers to 'the progression that leads to respiratory failure and death" than otherwise.

================
ORIGINAL ARTICLE


Dexamethasone in Hospitalized Patients with Covid-19 — Preliminary Report
List of authors.
The RECOVERY Collaborative Group*
July 17, 2020


BACKGROUND
Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is associated with diffuse lung damage. Glucocorticoids may modulate inflammation-mediated lung injury and thereby reduce progression to respiratory failure and death.

Source: New England Journal of Medicine
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2021436?query=featured_home

 

[tedmc]

I think "the" should be there but scientific writing sometimes don't follow grammar rules fully.

 

[GoodTaste]

I think "the" should be there but scientific writing sometimes don't follow grammar rules fully.

OK.

Let's see what native English speakers will say.

 

[Tarheel]

I would use ,the" there, but they're using a kind of shorthand, I guess.

 

[PeterCW]

I would use ,the" there, but they're using a kind of shorthand, I guess.

I have seen the article omitted in similar phrases in other medical writing. I think that it is simply a matter of professional jargon.

 

[teechar]

This doesn't answer the question, but it's interesting all the same.

https://books.google.com/ngrams/gra...ression to;,c0;.t1;,reduce progression to;,c0