Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41029298›Full record

Trial reportBMC pulmonary medicine2025

Early C-reactive protein reduction predicts survival in COVID-19 severe pneumonia treated with glucocorticoids.

Nicolò Reccardini, Marco Confalonieri, Barbara Ruaro, Paola Confalonieri, Beatrice Da Re, Andrea Rocca, Francesco Salton

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMC pulmonary medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04636671 (Randomized Controlled Trial of Methylprednisolone Versus Dexamethasone in COVID-19 Pneumonia), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–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.

NCT04636671 phase3completednot on this map

Randomized Controlled Trial of Methylprednisolone Versus Dexamethasone in COVID-19 Pneumonia (MEDEAS Trial)

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of TriesteRan2021 to 2022Enrolled690ConditionsCovid19, Viral Pneumonia Human Coronavirus, Severe Acute Respiratory SyndromeArmsMethylprednisolone, Dexamethasone
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

7 authors.

Nicolò ReccardiniDepartment of Pulmonology, University Hospital of Cattinara, Trieste, Italy. nico.recca@gmail.com.
Marco ConfalonieriDepartment of Pulmonology, University Hospital of Cattinara, Trieste, Italy.
Barbara RuaroDepartment of Pulmonology, University Hospital of Cattinara, Trieste, Italy.
Paola ConfalonieriDepartment of Pulmonology, University Hospital of Cattinara, Trieste, Italy.
Beatrice Da ReDepartment of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
Andrea RoccaDepartment of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
Francesco SaltonDepartment of Pulmonology, University Hospital of Cattinara, Trieste, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundprolonged, low-dose glucocorticoid treatment reduces systemic inflammation and mortality in patients with SARS-CoV-2-related pneumonia requiring respiratory support. Previous studies reported a significant C-reactive protein (CRP) reduction in the early days of treatment compared to placebo. While CRP is an independent predictor of severity in community-acquired pneumonia, there is no evidence on the correlation between CRP changes and mortality within a glucocorticoid-treated population.

methodsdata from the MEDEAS randomized controlled trial were re-analyzed as a single cohort of patients with SARS-CoV-2-related pneumonia undergoing either dexamethasone 6 mg/day for 10 days or methylprednisolone 80 mg/day for ≥ 8 days from hospitalization. CRP relative decrease between treatment initiation and day 3 was calculated and tested to predict 28-day mortality. Additionally, clinically relevant CRP percentage changes by day 3 were calculated and tested to predict survival. A stratification was performed for baseline PaO

results597 patients were included in the analysis. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, the relative decrease in CRP by day 3 was significantly associated with 28-day survival (OR 0.77; 95%CI 0.64-0.99; p = 0.011). Furthermore, a ≥ 5% CRP reduction was associated with a lower mortality compared to either < 5% reduction or any increase in CRP levels by day 3 (8.2% versus 18.5%; OR 0.40; 95%CI 0.23-0.69; p = 0.001) in the whole cohort. When stratifying for baseline PaO

conclusionsin patients with COVID-19-related severe pneumonia receiving low-dose glucocorticoid treatment, even early reductions in CRP levels, together with other meaningful clinical traits, predict survival, representing a possible biomarker to guide personalized interventions.

trial registrationThe MEDEAS randomized controlled trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov on 18 November 2020 (NCT04636671).

Indexed as

COVID-19 Drug TreatmentC-Reactive ProteinDexamethasoneGlucocorticoidsMethylprednisoloneAgedCOVID-19FemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSARS-CoV-2Severity of Illness IndexC-Reactive ProteinDexamethasoneGlucocorticoidsMethylprednisoloneCovid-19C-reactive proteinDexamethasoneGlucocorticoidsMethylprednisolonePneumoniaSevere pneumonia

Identifiers

PMID41029298
PMCPMC12486572

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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.