Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34718937›Full record

ReviewInternal and emergency medicine2022

Possible harm from glucocorticoid drugs misuse in the early phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection: a narrative review of the evidence.

Riccardo Sarzani, Francesco Spannella, Federico Giulietti, Chiara Di Pentima, Piero Giordano, Andrea Giacometti

Registry-linked trialOpen access · hybridAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Internal and emergency medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05819918 (Calcifediol in the Treatment of COVID 19. Modification of Therapeutic Response by Best Available Treatment or Other Treatment or Clinical Variables), which is not on this map. Cited by 15 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
15citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
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.

NCT05819918 completednot on this map

Calcifediol in the Treatment of COVID 19. Modification of Therapeutic Response by Best Available Treatment or Other Treatment or Clinical Variables

TypeobservationalSponsorMaimónides Biomedical Research Institute of CórdobaRan2022 to 2023Enrolled728ConditionsCOVID-19ArmsCalcifediol, Best available therapy
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

15 citing papers in PubMed, 21 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Observational
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Observational
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Glucocorticoid Effects on Proteoglycans and Glycosaminoglycans.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022
    Review
  9. Review
  10. Glucocorticoids and COVID-19.Pharmacological research · 2022
    Review
  11. Article
  12. Pharmacological treatment of COVID-19: an opinion paper.Revista espanola de quimioterapia : publicacion oficial de la Sociedad Espanola de Quimioterapia · 2022
    Review
  13. Article
  14. N-Acetylcysteine and Other Sulfur-Donors as a Preventative and Adjunct Therapy for COVID-19.Advances in pharmacological and pharmaceutical sciences · 2022
    Review
  15. Review
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

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Riccardo SarzaniInternal Medicine and Geriatrics, Italian National Research Centre on Aging, Hospital "U. Sestilli", IRCCS INRCA, via della Montagnola n. 81, 60127, Ancona, Italy. r.sarzani@univpm.it.ORCID 0000-0002-5159-0181
Francesco SpannellaInternal Medicine and Geriatrics, Italian National Research Centre on Aging, Hospital "U. Sestilli", IRCCS INRCA, via della Montagnola n. 81, 60127, Ancona, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-1846-7819
Federico GiuliettiInternal Medicine and Geriatrics, Italian National Research Centre on Aging, Hospital "U. Sestilli", IRCCS INRCA, via della Montagnola n. 81, 60127, Ancona, Italy.
Chiara Di PentimaInternal Medicine and Geriatrics, Italian National Research Centre on Aging, Hospital "U. Sestilli", IRCCS INRCA, via della Montagnola n. 81, 60127, Ancona, Italy.
Piero GiordanoInternal Medicine and Geriatrics, Italian National Research Centre on Aging, Hospital "U. Sestilli", IRCCS INRCA, via della Montagnola n. 81, 60127, Ancona, Italy.
Andrea GiacomettiDepartment of Biological Sciences and Public Health, Infectious Diseases Clinic, University "Politecnica Delle Marche", Via Tronto 10/a, Ancona, Italy.
Marche Polytechnic University · ITIstituto Nazionale di Riposo e Cura per Anziani · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Since the publication of the RECOVERY trial, the use of glucocorticoid drugs (GC) has spread for the treatment of severe COVID-19 worldwide. However, the benefit of dexamethasone was largest in patients who received mechanical ventilation or supplemental oxygen therapy, while no benefit was found among patients without hypoxemia. In addition, a positive outcome was found in patients who received dexamethasone after several days of symptoms, while possible harm could exist if administered early. The right time interval for GC administration is still a matter of debate. Previous studies showed that an early GC use during the first phase of the disease, when viral replication peaks, may negatively affect the innate immune response through several mechanisms, such as the inhibition of pro-inflammatory and antiviral cytokine production and signaling pathway, including type I interferon, that is fundamental to counteract the virus and that was found to be impaired in several patients with life-threatening COVID-19. The GC misuse can lead to a more severe disease even in patients who do not have the established risk factors, such as obesity and cardiovascular diseases. In our focused review, we describe the role of immune response in viral infections, especially SARS-CoV-2, and discuss the potential harms of GC misuse in COVID-19.

Indexed as

COVID-19 Drug TreatmentAntiviral AgentsGlucocorticoidsHumansPharmaceutical PreparationsSARS-CoV-2Antiviral AgentsGlucocorticoidsPharmaceutical PreparationsCytokineGlucocorticoidInnate immunityInterferonSARS-CoV-2Viral infection

Identifiers

PMID34718937
PMCPMC8557262
OpenAlexW3209422128

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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.