Outcomes of Different Steroid Dosing Regimens in Critical Covid-19 Pneumonia

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov August 21, 2024

The study found that high-dose steroids in the treatment of critically ill patients with COVID-19 pneumonia did not confer any mortality benefit and were associated with an increased risk of dysglycemia and superimposed infections.

A retrospective cohort study was carried out on all eligible patients admitted to the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, with critical COVID-19 between 1st March 2020 and 31st December 2021.

The study included 288 patients.

The median age was 61.2 years (IQR: 49.7, 72.5), with 71.2% of patients being male.

The most common comorbidities were diabetes mellitus (60.7%), hypertension (58%), and heart disease (12.2%).

The average oxygen saturation and C-reactive protein at admission were 82% [IQR: 70.0-89.0]and 113.0 [IQR: 54.0-186.0], respectively.

Fifty-eight percent of patients received a standard dose (6mg) of steroids.

The mortality rate was higher in the high-dose group compared to the standard-dose group; however, the difference was not statistically significant (47.9% vs 43.7% p = 0.549).