Background There are controversial suggestions about steroid use to treat patients infected with COVID-19. Conclusive evidence regarding the use of steroids to treat COVID-19 is still lacking. This meta-analysis aimed to determine the mortality and severity associated with corticosteroid therapy compared to noncorticosteroid treatment in patients with COVID-19. Methods The information was collected from electronic databases: PubMed, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, clinicaltrials.gov , and Google scholar through January 30, 2021. Risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were performed using random effect models. Endnote citation manager software version X9 for Windows was utilized to collect and organize search outcomes (into relevant and irrelevant studies) and to remove duplicate articles. Results Thirty-two studies were included in the meta-analysis, including 14,659 COVID-19 patients. No significant differences in mortality between the steroid and nonsteroid treatment groups (RR = 0.95; 95% CI: 0.80–1.13; p = 0.57). There was no significant reduction in mortality in critically ill COVID-19 patients treated with corticosteroid (RR = 0.89; 95% CI: 0.62–1.27; p = 0.52). Significant differences were observed in severe disease conditions between the steroid and nonsteroid treatment groups (RR = 1.10; 95% CI, 1.03–1.19, p = 0.007). Conclusion There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality between the steroid and nonsteroid treatment users’ of COVID-19 patients. There was no significant reduction of all-cause mortality in critically ill COVID-19 patients treated with corticosteroids.
【초록키워드】 Corticosteroid, COVID-19, Treatment, Meta-analysis, Corticosteroids, Mortality, severity, outcome, Critically ill, Patient, information, COVID-19 patients, Evidence, risk ratio, severe disease, COVID-19 patient, Google, reduction, significant difference, 95% CI, no significant difference, 95% confidence interval, all-cause mortality, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, treatment group, treat, window, random effect, corticosteroid therapy, reduction in mortality, articles, Result, performed, was collected, treated, condition, determine, Significant, CIs, infected with COVID-19, patients with COVID-19, RRs, use of steroid, 【제목키워드】 review, steroid use,