Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published guidance recommending systemic corticosteroids for the treatment of patients with severe or critical COVID-19 and no corticosteroids for those with nonsevere COVID-19. Although their recommendations for critical cases were based on the results from seven randomized controlled trials (RCTs), those for noncritical cases were based on the results from only one RCT, the Randomized Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy (RECOVERY) trial. In search of additional evidence of corticosteroids’ effect on COVID-19, we systematically reviewed controlled observational studies, besides RCTs, that assessed the impact of corticosteroid treatment on any type of mortality and/or other outcomes in noncritical patients. Of the 4037 titles and abstracts screened, we ultimately included the RECOVERY trial and five controlled observational studies using propensity score matching, (accessed on September 8, 2020). Two of the controlled observational studies assessed the association between corticosteroid treatment and in-hospital mortality, without finding statistical significance. Four of the controlled observational studies assessed corticosteroids’ effect on other outcomes, demonstrating that they were associated with reduced risk of intubation in patients requiring oxygen and with longer hospitalization and viral shedding in mild or moderate cases. These results support the WHO recommendations not to use corticosteroids for nonsevere COVID-19.

Details

Title
A systematic review of corticosteroid treatment for noncritically ill patients with COVID-19
Author
Shuto Hisayuki 1 ; Komiya Kosaku 1 ; Yamasue Mari 1 ; Uchida Sonoe 1 ; Ogura Takashi 2 ; Mukae Hiroshi 3 ; Tateda Kazuhiro 4 ; Hiramatsu Kazufumi 5 ; Kadota Jun-ichi 6 

 Oita University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Respiratory Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Yufu, Japan (GRID:grid.412334.3) (ISNI:0000 0001 0665 3553) 
 Kanagawa Cardiovascular and Respiratory Center, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Yokohama, Japan (GRID:grid.419708.3) (ISNI:0000 0004 1775 0430) 
 Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nagasaki, Japan (GRID:grid.174567.6) (ISNI:0000 0000 8902 2273) 
 Toho University School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Japanese Association for Infectious Disease, Tokyo, Japan (GRID:grid.265050.4) (ISNI:0000 0000 9290 9879) 
 Oita University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Respiratory Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Yufu, Japan (GRID:grid.412334.3) (ISNI:0000 0001 0665 3553); Oita University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Safety Management, Yufu, Japan (GRID:grid.412334.3) (ISNI:0000 0001 0665 3553) 
 Oita University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Respiratory Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Yufu, Japan (GRID:grid.412334.3) (ISNI:0000 0001 0665 3553); Nagasaki Harbor Medical Center, Nagasaki, Japan (GRID:grid.412334.3) 
Publication year
2020
Publication date
2020
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20452322
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2473289992
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.