Essential Site Maintenance: Authorea-powered sites will be updated circa 15:00-17:00 Eastern on Tuesday 5 November.
There should be no interruption to normal services, but please contact us at help@authorea.com in case you face any issues.

loading page

Methylprednisolone use in children with severe pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2
  • +5
  • yasemin ozsurekci,
  • Kubra Aykac,
  • Osman Oguz Demir,
  • Sare Ilbay,
  • Selman Kesici,
  • Jale Karakaya,
  • Ali Bülent Cengiz,
  • Mehmet Ceyhan
yasemin ozsurekci
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
Author Profile
Kubra Aykac
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
Author Profile
Osman Oguz Demir
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi

Corresponding Author:osmanoguzdemir@hacettepe.edu.tr

Author Profile
Sare Ilbay
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
Author Profile
Selman Kesici
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
Author Profile
Jale Karakaya
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
Author Profile
Ali Bülent Cengiz
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
Author Profile
Mehmet Ceyhan
Hacettepe Universitesi Tip Fakultesi
Author Profile

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.