Therapeutic Effect of Corticosteroids for Critical COVID-19 Patients

Abstract

The rapid spread of severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has resulted in an unprecedented public health, economic, and social crisis worldwide. As therapeutics that can effectively clear the virus and terminate transmission are not available, supportive therapeutics are the main clinical methods for Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) including corticosteroids, respiratory support, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for salvage therapy, while subsequent agents and vaccine candidates are still under investigation. COVID-19 is a two-phase disease: in the early phase, the pathology of the virus dominates; in the later phase, Immunopathology drives the disease. Low-dose dexamethasone treatment suppresses COVID-19-related Immunopathology by complementing endogenous cortisol activity, while avoiding the adverse effects of high-dose glucocorticoids therapy. Corticosteroids, as one of the main means of anti-inflammatory adjuvant, are controversial about its role in the treatment of COVID-19. Here, we retrospectively evaluate the therapeutic effect of corticosteroids by comparing the clinical data of patients with or without corticosteroids therapy at different severity level.