September 2, 2020

Association Between Administration of Systemic Corticosteroids and Mortality Among Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19 A Meta-Analysis

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Testing and Treatment

Keywords (Tags): review, treatment

• A meta-analysis of 7 randomized trials conducted in 12 countries and including 1,703 critically ill patients with COVID-19 found that administration of systemic corticosteroids, compared with usual care or placebo, was associated with lower 28-day all-cause mortality (OR=0.7, 95%CI 0.5-0.8). Serious adverse events occurred in 64/354 (18%) patients who were randomized to corticosteroids and 80 events occurred among 342 patient randomized to usual care or placebo in the six trials that reported serious adverse events.

The WHO Rapid Evidence Appraisal for COVID-19 Therapies (REACT) Working Group. (Sept 2, 2020). Association Between Administration of Systemic Corticosteroids and Mortality Among Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19 A Meta-Analysis. JAMA. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.17023