Project description:BackgroundCorticosteroids are part of the treatment guidelines for COVID-19 and have been shown to improve mortality. However, the impact corticosteroids have on the development of secondary infection in COVID-19 is unknown. We sought to define the rate of secondary infection in critically ill patients with COVID-19 and determine the effect of corticosteroid use on mortality in critically ill patients with COVID-19.Study design and methodsOne hundred and thirty-five critically ill patients with COVID-19 admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the University of Maryland Medical Center were included in this single-center retrospective analysis. Demographics, symptoms, culture data, use of COVID-19 directed therapies, and outcomes were abstracted from the medical record. The primary outcomes were secondary infection and mortality. Proportional hazards models were used to determine the time to secondary infection and the time to death.ResultsThe proportion of patients with secondary infection was 63%. The likelihood of developing secondary infection was not significantly impacted by the administration of corticosteroids (HR 1.45, CI 0.75-2.82, P = 0.28). This remained consistent in sub-analysis looking at bloodstream, respiratory, and urine infections. Secondary infection had no significant impact on the likelihood of 28-day mortality (HR 0.66, CI 0.33-1.35, P = 0.256). Corticosteroid administration significantly reduced the likelihood of 28-day mortality (HR 0.27, CI 0.10-0.72, P = 0.01).ConclusionCorticosteroids are an important and lifesaving pharmacotherapeutic option in critically ill patients with COVID-19, which have no impact on the likelihood of developing secondary infections.
Project description:Inhaled Corticosteroids (ICS) are commonly prescribed to patients with severe COPD and recurrent exacerbations. It is not known what impact ICS cause in terms of COVID-19 positivity or disease severity in COPD. This study examined 27,810 patients with COPD from the Cleveland Clinic COVID-19 registry between March 8th and September 16th, 2020. Electronic health records were used to determine diagnosis of COPD, ICS use, and clinical outcomes. Multivariate logistic regression was used to adjust for demographics, month of COVID-19 testing, and comorbidities known to be associated with increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease. Amongst the COPD patients who were tested for COVID-19, 44.1% of those taking an ICS-containing inhaler tested positive for COVID-19 versus 47.2% who tested negative for COVID-19 (p = 0.033). Of those who tested positive for COVID-19 (n = 1288), 371 (28.8%) required hospitalization. In-hospital outcomes were not significantly different when comparing ICS versus no ICS in terms of ICU admission (36.8% [74/201] vs 31.2% [53/170], p = 0.30), endotracheal intubation (21.9% [44/201] vs 16.5% [28/170], p = 0.24), or mortality (18.4% [37/201] vs 20.0% [34/170], p = 0.80). Multivariate logistic regression demonstrated no significant differences in hospitalization (adj OR 1.12, CI: 0.90-1.38), ICU admission (adj OR: 1.31, CI: 0.82-2.10), need for mechanical ventilation (adj OR 1.65, CI: 0.69-4.02), or mortality (OR: 0.80, CI: 0.43-1.49). In conclusion, ICS therapy did not increase COVID-19 related healthcare utilization or mortality outcome in patients with COPD followed at the Cleveland Clinic health system. These findings should encourage clinicians to continue ICS therapy for COPD patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Project description:The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has caused severe illness and mortality for millions worldwide. Despite the development, approval and rollout of vaccination programmes globally to prevent infection by SARS-CoV-2 and the development of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), treatments are still urgently needed to improve outcomes. Early in the pandemic it was observed that patients with pre-existing asthma or COPD were underrepresented among those with COVID-19. Evidence from clinical studies indicates that the inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) routinely taken for asthma and COPD could have had a protective role in preventing severe COVID-19 and, therefore, may be a promising treatment for COVID-19. This review summarises the evidence supporting the beneficial effects of ICS on outcomes in patients with COVID-19 and explores the potential protective mechanisms.
Project description:BackgroundThe impact of prior exposure to systemic corticosteroids on COVID-19 severity in patients hospitalized for a SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia is not known. The present study was designed to answer to this question.MethodsThe population study was the Covid-Clinic-Toul cohort which records data about all hospitalized patients with a positive reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for a SARS-CoV-2 infection at Toulouse University hospital, France. Exposure to systemic corticosteroids was assessed at hospital admission. A propensity score (PS) according to corticosteroid exposure was calculated including comorbidities, clinical, radiological and biological variables that impact COVID-19 severity. The primary outcome was composite, including admission to intensive care unit, need of mechanical ventilation and death occurring during the 14 days after hospital admission. Logistic regression models adjusted for the PS (overlap weighting) provided odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs).ResultsOverall, 253 patients were included in the study. Median age was 64 years, 140 patients (59.6%) were men and 218 (86.2%) had at least one comorbidity. Seventeen patients (6.7%) were exposed to corticosteroids before hospital admission. Chronic inflammatory disease (n = 8) was the most frequent indication. One hundred and twenty patients (47.4%) met the composite outcome. In the crude model, the OR of previous exposure to systemic corticosteroids was 1.64; 95% CI: 0.60-4.44. In the adjusted model, it was 1.09 (95% CI: 0.65-1.83).ConclusionOverall, this study provide some evidences for an absence of an increased risk of unfavorable outcome with previous exposure to corticosteroids in the general setting of patients hospitalized for COVID-19.
Project description:Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), prednisolone and antibiotics all play a crucial role in the management of respiratory diseases. The aim of this study was to analyse whether the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic affected prescribing rates, as public health measures were implemented to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Monthly practise-level prescribing data published by NHS Digital were analysed. At the point, the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic, ICS prescriptions rose significantly. This was followed by a decrease in ICS and prednisolone prescribing in the following months. There was no difference in the antibiotic prescribing trend.
Project description:The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by type 2 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), puts all of us to the test. Epidemiologic observations could critically aid the development of protective measures to combat this devastating viral outbreak. Recent observations, linked nation based universal Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination to potential protection against morbidity and mortality from SARS-CoV-2, and received much attention in public media. We wished to validate the findings by examining the country based association between COVID-19 mortality per million population, or daily rates of COVID-19 case fatality (i.e. Death Per Case/Days of the endemic [dpc/d]) and the presence of universal BCG vaccination before 1980, or the year of the establishment of universal BCG vaccination. These associations were examined in multiple regression modeling based on publicly available databases on both April 3rd and May 15th of 2020. COVID-19 deaths per million negatively associated with universal BCG vaccination in a country before 1980 based on May 15th data, but this was not true for COVID-19 dpc/d on either of days of inquiry. We also demonstrate possible arbitrary selection bias in such analyses. Consequently, caution should be exercised amidst the publication surge on COVID-19, due to political/economical-, arbitrary selection-, and fear/anxiety related biases, which may obscure scientific rigor. We argue that global COVID-19 epidemiologic data is unreliable and therefore should be critically scrutinized before using it as a nidus for subsequent hypothesis driven scientific discovery.
Project description:IntroductionSilent hypoxia is an entity that has been described in patients diagnosed with COVID-19. It is typically described as objective hypoxia in the absence of proportional respiratory distress. The physiological basis for this phenomenon is controversial, and its prognostic value is unclear. We present a case below, of a 66-year-old female presenting with severe hypoxia that was managed without mechanical ventilation.Presentation of caseA 66 year old female with multiple comorbidities initially presented with a cough, fever and an oxygen saturation of 70% on room air in the absence of respiratory distress or altered mentation. She subsequently tested positive for COVID-19 and was admitted to the intensive care unit; received oxygen via high flow nasal cannula and continuous positive pressure mask. The patient remained in the intensive care unit for 40 days under close observation and exhibited multiple episodes of silent hypoxia on weaning oxygen. She was discharged on room air with an oxygen saturation >90% after 56 days. The patient was not intubated during her stay.Discussion and conclusionClinicians face a clinical dilemma on whether to intubate a "silently hypoxemic" patient, who displays hypoxia out of proportion to clinical examination. The decision is confounded by a lack of clear evidence on whether the benefits of precautionary intubation outweighs the risks, especially in the current COVID-19 pandemic. A recent paradigm shift that recommends delaying intubation further displays the need for clearer analysis of the situation. Our case demonstrates a favorable outcome of the latter approach, yet emphasizes a case-by-case approach until clearer recommendations are available.