Outcomes of corticosteroid therapy in patients with viral community-acquired pneumonia

Abstract

Aim: The objective of this study was to assess the therapeutic effects of corticosteroids in adult patients hospitalized with viral community-acquired pneumonia. Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of data collected prospectively from November 1996 to June 2024. All adult patients with viral community-acquired pneumonia were enrolled. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Secondary outcomes included all-cause in-hospital mortality, ICU admission, length of ICU and hospital stay, mechanical ventilation, and 1-year mortality. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to obtain balance among the baseline variables in the two groups. Results: Of the 524 patients with viral pneumonia, 30 (6%) received corticosteroids and 494 (94%) did not. Patients were primarily male (n = 299, 57%), with a median [Q1-Q3] age of 66.9 [55-81] years. The 3:1 propensity matching procedure identified 90 patients not treated with corticosteroid (CS-) as controls. After PSM, no difference in 30-day mortality was found [7% (95%CI 1 to 22%) vs. 4% (95%CI 1 to 11%), p = 0.639]. The risk of death at 30 days did not differ significantly in unmatched and matched cohorts [Hazard Ratio (HR) 1.33 (0.32-5.63), p = 0.695 vs. HR 1.51 (0.28-8.27), p = 0.632, respectively]. Nor were differences found in hospital length of stay, ICU admission and length of stay, or mechanical ventilation requirement and duration between matched and unmatched CS + and CS-. Conclusions: There were no significant differences in the primary and secondary outcomes regarding the use of corticosteroids in patients with viral pneumonia.