February 6, 2020

Clinical evidence does not support corticosteroid treatment for 2019-nCoV lung injury

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Testing and Treatment

• Russell, et al. review reasons not to use corticosteroids for treatment of 2019-nCoV, following WHO advice against their use in cases of novel coronavirus. Reasons are based on similarities in the biology and clinical presentation of 2019-nCoV, SARS, and MERS. 
• An addition to other negative clinical outcomes described based on earlier studies, use of corticosteroid therapy in novel coronavirus patients likely delays clearance of viral RNA from respiratory secretions; and patients treated with corticosteroids were more likely to be viremic 2-3 weeks after treatment than persons given a saline control.

Russell, et al. (Feb 6, 2020). Clinical evidence does not support corticosteroid treatment

for 2019-nCoV lung injury. The Lancet. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30317-2