Clinical observation of glucocorticoid therapy for critically ill patients with COVID-19 pneumonia

Link to article at PubMed

J Int Med Res. 2023 Feb;51(2):3000605221149292. doi: 10.1177/03000605221149292.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the clinical effects of intravenous glucocorticoid (GC) therapy for severe COVID-19 pneumonia.

METHODS: Seventy-two patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 pneumonia who were discharged or died between 5 January 2020 and 3 March 2020 at Huangshi Infectious Disease Hospital were included. Patients were divided into a treatment group (GC group) and non-treatment group (non-GC group) according to whether they had received GCs within 7 days of hospital admission.

RESULTS: There was no significant difference between groups for Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score and 28-day survival rate. The rate of invasive mechanical ventilation was higher in the GC group than in the non-GC group. On day 7 after admission, the GC group had shorter fever duration and higher white blood cell count than the non-GC group. In subgroup analysis by age and severity, there was no significant difference in 28-day survival rate and other indicators. Compared with those in the non-GC group, patients in the GC group more frequently required admission to the intensive care unit.

CONCLUSION: In the present study, we found no significant improvement in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia treated with GCs within 7 days of admission.

PMID:36843426 | DOI:10.1177/03000605221149292

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *