Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and optimal
use of corticosteroids in children with severe coronavirus disease 2019
(COVID-19) pneumonia. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study and
included patients (aged<18 years) with severe COVID-19
pneumonia and/or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) who received
standard doses (2–4 mg/kg/day) and high doses (>250
mg/day) of methylprednisolone (MPZ). We adjusted for patients on steroid
treatments with a propensity score and patient survival. Results:
Fifty-nine patients were included: 61% were male, the median age was 8
(interquartile range [IQR], 2–15) years. The overall survival was
84.4% in patients treated with standard-dose MPZ (n = 45, 76.3%) and
92.2% in patients treated with high-dose MPZ (n = 14, 23.7%; p =
0.67). The demographic, clinical, and laboratory data didn’t differ
significantly after propensity score matching, apart from bradycardia,
which was a prominent feature of the high-dose group. The clinical and
radiological response rates on Day 7 were higher and the need for
invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) was lower in the high-dose group.
Conclusion: Pulse MPZ treatment seems to result in better clinical and
radiological responses, with less need for IMV, although the mortality
rate doesn’t differ between standard and high-dose regimens of MPZ.