Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 4, 2025
Comparing Objective Conjunctival Hyperemia Grading and the Ocular Surface Disease Index Score in Dry Eye Syndrome During COVID-19
Published on: May 25, 2022
Effectiveness of adjunctive corticosteroid therapy in patients with severe COVID-19: A retrospective cohort study
Bin Xiong1, Li-Min He2, Yuan-Yuan Qin3
1Department of Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400010, China.
Insights
Corticosteroid therapy did not improve clinical outcomes for severe COVID-19 patients. However, it may aid in pulmonary lesion absorption, warranting further investigation in larger studies.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonology
- Infectious Diseases
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- The clinical benefit of adjunctive corticosteroids for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is uncertain.
- Severe COVID-19 cases present significant challenges in patient management and treatment efficacy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of corticosteroid therapy as an adjunctive treatment in severe COVID-19 patients.
- To compare clinical outcomes between severe COVID-19 patients who received and did not receive corticosteroids.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis comparing outcomes in severe COVID-19 patients with and without corticosteroid therapy.
- Inclusion of 75 patients, categorized into corticosteroid (n=47) and non-corticosteroid (n=28) groups.
Main Results:
- No significant differences observed in hospital stay, ICU stay, oxygen support duration, or mortality rates between groups.
- Significant reduction in total lesion volume, consolidation, and ground-glass opacity on day 14 in the corticosteroid group compared to the non-corticosteroid group.
Conclusions:
- Adjunctive corticosteroids did not improve clinical outcomes in severe COVID-19 but may facilitate pulmonary lesion absorption.
- Further multicenter randomized controlled trials are recommended to validate these findings and explore potential benefits.
Background:
The effectiveness of adjunctive corticosteroid use in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains inconclusive.
Aim:
To investigate the effectiveness of adjunctive corticosteroid therapy in patients with severe COVID-19.
Methods:
We conducted a retrospective analysis of the difference in several outcomes between patients with severe COVID-19 who received corticosteroid therapy (the corticosteroid group) and patients with severe COVID-19 who did not receive corticosteroid therapy (the non-corticosteroid group).
Results:
Seventy-five patients were included in this study. Of these, 47 patients were in the corticosteroid group and 28 patients were in the non-corticosteroid group. There were no differences between the two groups in the total length of hospital stay, the length of intensive care unit stay, high-flow oxygen days, non-invasive ventilator days, invasive ventilation days, and mortality rate. Total lesion volume ratio, consolidation volume ratio and ground-glass opacity volume ratio in the corticosteroid group decreased significantly on day 14, while those in the non-corticosteroid group did not show a significant decrease.
Conclusion:
Our results show that adjunctive corticosteroid use did not significantly improve clinical outcomes in severe COVID-19 patients, but might promote the absorption of pulmonary lesions. Larger multicenter randomized controlled studies may be needed to confirm this.
Related Concept Videos
01:26COPD: Management Using Bronchodilators and Corticosteroids
01:25Antiasthma Drugs: Inhaled Corticosteroids and Glucocorticoids
ICS work through a multifaceted mechanism of action. They suppress the inflammatory response caused by the proliferation of TH cells. They also reduce the transcription of the IL-2 gene, which is involved in the...
01:21Drugs for Treatment of Crohn's Disease in IBD Using Glucocorticoids
01:29Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-V: Management
Smoking Cessation
01:27Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-IV: Assessement and Diagnostic Studies
Medical History
01:20Asthma: Pathogenesis and Management
Asthma is classified as allergic and non-allergic. Allergens such as dust mites, pollen, and pet dander trigger allergic asthma, while factors like cold air, intense emotions, or exercise can induce non-allergic asthma.