Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33441909›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2021

Corticosteroid treatment has no effect on hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients.

Filippo Albani, Federica Fusina, Enza Granato, Cristina Capotosto, Claudia Ceracchi, Riccardo Gargaruti, Giovanni Santangelo, Luca Schiavone, Maria Salvatrice Taranto, Cinzia Tosati and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Filippo AlbaniDepartment of Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, Fondazione Poliambulanza Istituto Ospedaliero, Via Bissolati, 57, 25124, Brescia, Italy.
Federica FusinaDepartment of Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, Fondazione Poliambulanza Istituto Ospedaliero, Via Bissolati, 57, 25124, Brescia, Italy. f.fusina@gmail.com.
Enza GranatoDepartment of Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, Fondazione Poliambulanza Istituto Ospedaliero, Via Bissolati, 57, 25124, Brescia, Italy.
Cristina CapotostoDepartment of Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, Fondazione Poliambulanza Istituto Ospedaliero, Via Bissolati, 57, 25124, Brescia, Italy.
Claudia CeracchiDepartment of Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, Fondazione Poliambulanza Istituto Ospedaliero, Via Bissolati, 57, 25124, Brescia, Italy.
Riccardo GargarutiDepartment of Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, Fondazione Poliambulanza Istituto Ospedaliero, Via Bissolati, 57, 25124, Brescia, Italy.
Giovanni SantangeloDepartment of Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, Fondazione Poliambulanza Istituto Ospedaliero, Via Bissolati, 57, 25124, Brescia, Italy.
Luca SchiavoneDepartment of Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, Fondazione Poliambulanza Istituto Ospedaliero, Via Bissolati, 57, 25124, Brescia, Italy.
Maria Salvatrice TarantoDepartment of Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, Fondazione Poliambulanza Istituto Ospedaliero, Via Bissolati, 57, 25124, Brescia, Italy.
Cinzia TosatiDepartment of Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, Fondazione Poliambulanza Istituto Ospedaliero, Via Bissolati, 57, 25124, Brescia, Italy.
Elena VavassoriDepartment of Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, Fondazione Poliambulanza Istituto Ospedaliero, Via Bissolati, 57, 25124, Brescia, Italy.
Giuseppe NataliniDepartment of Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Medicine, Fondazione Poliambulanza Istituto Ospedaliero, Via Bissolati, 57, 25124, Brescia, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Since the start of the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, corticosteroid use has been the subject of debate. The available evidence is uncertain, and knowledge on the subject is evolving. The aim of our cohort study was to evaluate the association between corticosteroid therapy and hospital mortality, in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 after balancing for possible confounders. One thousand four hundred forty four patients were admitted to our hospital with a positive RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2, 559 patients (39%) were exposed to corticosteroids during hospital stay, 844 (61%) were not exposed to corticosteroids. In the cohort of patients exposed to corticosteroids, 171 (30.6%) died. In the cohort of patients not exposed to corticosteroids, 183 (21.7%) died (unadjusted p < 0.001). Nonetheless, exposure to corticosteroids was not associated with in-hospital mortality after balancing with overlap weight propensity score (adjusted p = 0.25). Patients in the corticosteroids cohort had a reduced risk of ICU admission (adjusted p < 0.001). Treatment with corticosteroids did not affect hospital mortality in patients with COVID-19 after balancing for confounders. A possible advantage of corticosteroid therapy was to reduce Intensive Care Unit admission, which could be useful in reducing pressure on Intensive Care Units in times of limited resources, as during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Indexed as

COVID-19 Drug TreatmentHospital MortalityAdrenal Cortex HormonesAgedCohort StudiesCOVID-19FemaleHospitalizationHumansIntensive Care UnitsMaleTreatment OutcomeAdrenal Cortex Hormones

Identifiers

PMID33441909
PMCPMC7806743

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.