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Case Report

Clinical Efficacy of Corticosteroids in the Early Stages of Deterioration in COVID-19 Pneumonia

, , , , , , , , & show all
Pages 2667-2674 | Published online: 12 Jul 2021
 

Abstract

Background

The World Health Organization (WHO) strongly suggests using corticosteroids in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Similarly, a large randomized controlled clinical trial (RCT) in the UK found that dexamethasone effectively reduced the mortality rate in severe COVID-19 patients. However, the safety profile of corticosteroids has been a controversial area of study.

Case Description

A case of a COVID-19 patient is described and the clinical characteristics are observed as the mildly symptomatic patient progresses into a critically ill patient and during their dramatic improvement with corticosteroid therapy in the early stage of the deterioration process with COVID-19 pneumonia.

Conclusion

The most suitable timing and dosage for the use of corticosteroids to maximize its effect during the worsening of COVID-19 pneumonia are discussed. One of the main pathophysiological hypotheses for severe COVID-19 patients is related to cytokine storm and virus load, which can be effectively treated with corticosteroid therapy.

Consent to Publish

The consent from the patient for the publication of the case was obtained.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.