Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34837648›Full record

Trial reportPharmacological reports : PR2022

Comparing efficacy and safety of different doses of dexamethasone in the treatment of COVID-19: a three-arm randomized clinical trial.

Negar Toroghi, Ladan Abbasian, Anahid Nourian, Effat Davoudi-Monfared, Hossein Khalili, Malihe Hasannezhad, Fereshteh Ghiasvand, Sirous Jafari, Hamid Emadi-Kouchak, Mir Saeed Yekaninejad

Open access · bronzeAbstract readComparative StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Pharmacological reports : PR, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
35citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
3.8field-weighted citation impact, top 5% 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.

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

35 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 64 citations in OpenAlex.

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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

10 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Negar Toroghi *Department of Clinical Pharmacy, International Campus, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, P.O.Box: 14155/6451, 1417614411, Tehran, Iran.
Ladan Abbasian *Department of Infectious Diseases, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Anahid NourianDepartment of Clinical Pharmacy, International Campus, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, P.O.Box: 14155/6451, 1417614411, Tehran, Iran.
Effat Davoudi-MonfaredDepartment of Clinical Pharmacy, International Campus, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, P.O.Box: 14155/6451, 1417614411, Tehran, Iran.
Hossein KhaliliDepartment of Clinical Pharmacy, International Campus, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, P.O.Box: 14155/6451, 1417614411, Tehran, Iran. Khalilih@sina.tums.ac.ir.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1590-6396
Malihe HasannezhadDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Fereshteh GhiasvandDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Sirous JafariDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Hamid Emadi-KouchakDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mir Saeed YekaninejadDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Imam Khomeini Hospital · IRTehran University of Medical Sciences · IR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

objectivesCorticosteroids are commonly used in the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The goals of the present study were to compare the efficacy and safety of different doses of dexamethasone in the treatment of patients with a diagnosis of moderate to severe COVID-19.

methodsHospitalized patients with a diagnosis of moderate to severe COVID-19 were assigned to intravenous low-dose (8 mg once daily), intermediate-dose (8 mg twice daily) or high-dose (8 mg thrice daily) dexamethasone for up to 10 days or until hospital discharge. Clinical response, 60-day survival and adverse effects were the main outcomes of the study.

resultsIn the competing risk survival analysis, patients in the low-dose group had a higher clinical response than the high-dose group when considering death as a competing risk (HR = 2.03, 95% CI: 1.23-3.33, p = 0.03). Also, the survival was significantly longer in the low-dose group than the high-dose group (HR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.15-0.83, p = 0.02). Leukocytosis and hyperglycemia were the most common side effects of dexamethasone. Although the incidence was not significantly different between the groups, some adverse effects were numerically higher in the intermediate-dose and high-dose groups than in the low-dose group.

conclusionsHigher doses of dexamethasone not only failed to improve efficacy but also resulted in an increase in the number of adverse events and worsen survival in hospitalized patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 compared to the low-dose dexamethasone. (IRCT20100228003449N31).

Indexed as

COVID-19 Drug TreatmentAdultAgedAnti-Inflammatory AgentsDexamethasoneDose-Response Relationship, DrugDrug-Related Side Effects and Adverse ReactionsFemaleHumansHyperglycemiaIncidenceLeukocytosisMaleMiddle AgedSurvival AnalysisTreatment OutcomeAnti-Inflammatory AgentsDexamethasoneCOVID-19DexamethasoneHigh-doseIntermediate-doseLow-dose

Identifiers

PMID34837648
PMCPMC8627167
OpenAlexW3215767313

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.