Corticosteroid prevents COVID-19 progression within its therapeutic window: a multicenter, proof-of-concept, observational study

• Published in: Emerging Microbes & Infections 2020
• Main Authors: Yang, Li, Zhou, Xian, Li, Tao, Chan, Shiji, Yu, Yiqi, Jing-Wen, Ai, Zhang, Haocheng, Sun, Feng, Zhang, Qiran, Zhu, Lei, Shao, Lingyun, Xu, Bin, Zhang, Wenhong
• Format: Web Resource
• Language: English

Background: Critically ill patients with COVID-19 are of grave concern. Those patients usually underwent a stage of excessive inflammation before developing acute respiratory distress syndrome. In this study, we test the hypothesis that short-term, low-to-moderate-dose corticosteroids would benefit patients when used in the early phase of excessive inflammation namely, the therapeutic window. Methods: Among a Shanghai cohort and a validation cohort, we enrolled COVID-19 patients showing marked radiographic progression. Short-term, low-to-moderate-dose corticosteroids were considered for them. After identifying the possible markers for the therapeutic window, we then divided the patients, based on whether they were treated with corticosteroids within the therapeutic window, into the early-start group and control group. Results: We identified that the therapeutic window for corticosteroids was characterized by a marked radiographic progression and lactase dehydrogenase (LDH) less than two times the upper limit of normal (ULN). The Shanghai cohort was composed of 68 patients, including 47 in the early-start group and 21 in the control group. The proportion of patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation was significantly lower in the early-start group than in the control group (10.6% vs. 33.3%, difference, 22.7%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2·6% to 44·8%). Among the validation cohort of 51 patients, similar difference of the primary outcome was observed (45.0% vs. 74.2%, P=0.035). Conclusions: Among COVID-19 patients with marked radiologic progression, short-term, low-to-moderate-dose corticosteroids benefits patients with LDH levels of less than two times the ULN, who may be in the early phase of excessive inflammation.