Pneumonia remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States.1 There is both theoretical and laboratory evidence that corticosteroids may have beneficial effects in pneumonia through local pulmonary and systemic effects. All-cause 30-day mortality, risk of new respiratory failure, risk of shock, length of hospital and intensive care unit stay. The data for this evidence-based summary are derived from a Cochrane meta-analysis by Stern et al., which included 17 trials with 2,264 adult and children admitted to the hospital with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We will also discuss another systematic review by Briel et al. that included 1,500 patients from six randomized controlled trials. The Cochrane systematic review included adults and children hospitalized with CAP with or without health care-associated pneumonia. Patients were randomized to receive corticosteroids (any dose and any duration) plus usual care or placebo plus usual care.

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