Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35090528›Full record

ArticleCritical care (London, England)2022

Corticosteroids as risk factor for COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis in intensive care patients.

Rasmus Leistner, Lisa Schroeter, Thomas Adam, Denis Poddubnyy, Miriam Stegemann, Britta Siegmund, Friederike Maechler, Christine Geffers, Frank Schwab, Petra Gastmeier and 3 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Critical care (London, England), 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
39citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
6.3field-weighted citation impact, top 2% 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

39 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 63 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
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  6. Diagnostic performance ofJournal of thoracic disease · 2025
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  8. Safety of steroids in severe community-acquired pneumonia.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2025
    Review
  9. Pulmonary aspergillosis in US Veterans with COVID-19: a nationwide, retrospective cohort study.Antimicrobial stewardship & healthcare epidemiology : ASHE · 2025
    Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
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  13. Article
  14. High Burden of COVID-19-Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Severely Immunocompromised Patients Requiring Mechanical Ventilation.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2024
    Observational
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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

13 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Rasmus LeistnerDivision of Gastroenterology, Infectious Diseases and Rheumatology, Medical Department, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany. rasmus.leistner@charite.de.ORCID 0000-0002-1225-9023
Lisa SchroeterDepartment of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany, Charité Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany.
Thomas AdamLabor Berlin, Charité Vivantes GmbH, Berlin, Germany.
Denis PoddubnyyDivision of Gastroenterology, Infectious Diseases and Rheumatology, Medical Department, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
Miriam StegemannDepartment of Infectious Diseases and Respiratory Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
Britta SiegmundDivision of Gastroenterology, Infectious Diseases and Rheumatology, Medical Department, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
Friederike MaechlerInstitute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
Christine GeffersInstitute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
Frank SchwabInstitute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
Petra GastmeierInstitute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
Sascha TreskatschDepartment of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany, Charité Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany.
Stefan Angermair *Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany, Charité Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany.
Thomas Schneider *Division of Gastroenterology, Infectious Diseases and Rheumatology, Medical Department, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin · DEVivantes Klinikum · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeCorticosteroids, in particular dexamethasone, are one of the primary treatment options for critically ill COVID-19 patients. However, there are a growing number of cases that involve COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA), and it is unclear whether dexamethasone represents a risk factor for CAPA. Our aim was to investigate a possible association of the recommended dexamethasone therapy with a risk of CAPA.

methodsWe performed a study based on a cohort of COVID-19 patients treated in 2020 in our 13 intensive care units at Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin. We used ECMM/ISHM criteria for the CAPA diagnosis and performed univariate and multivariable analyses of clinical parameters to identify risk factors that could result in a diagnosis of CAPA.

resultsAltogether, among the n = 522 intensive care patients analyzed, n = 47 (9%) patients developed CAPA. CAPA patients had a higher simplified acute physiology score (SAPS) (64 vs. 53, p < 0.001) and higher levels of IL-6 (1,005 vs. 461, p < 0.008). They more often had severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (60% vs. 41%, p = 0.024), renal replacement therapy (60% vs. 41%, p = 0.024), and they were more likely to die (64% vs. 48%, p = 0.049). The multivariable analysis showed dexamethasone (OR 3.110, CI95 1.112-8.697) and SAPS (OR 1.063, CI95 1.028-1.098) to be independent risk factors for CAPA.

conclusionIn our study, dexamethasone therapy as recommended for COVID-19 was associated with a significant three times increase in the risk of CAPA.

trial registrationRegistration number DRKS00024578, Date of registration March 3rd, 2021.

Indexed as

COVID-19Pulmonary AspergillosisAdrenal Cortex HormonesCritical CareHumansRisk FactorsSARS-CoV-2Adrenal Cortex HormonesCAPACorticosteroidCOVID-19DexamethasonePulmonary aspergillosis

Identifiers

PMID35090528
PMCPMC8796178
OpenAlexW4210667173

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.