Open AccessCOVID-19 pneumonia: do not leave the corticosteroids behind!
Author(s) -
Simone Mornese Pinna,
Silvia Scabini,
Silvia Corcione,
Tommaso Lupia,
Francesco Giuseppe De Rosa
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
future microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.797
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1746-0921
pISSN - 1746-0913
DOI - 10.2217/fmb-2020-0199
Subject(s) - covid-19 , pneumonia , medicine , viral replication , corticosteroid , lung , immunology , viral pneumonia , superinfection , virology , virus , outbreak , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty)
The host inflammatory response is critical in the progression of lung injuries in patients with SARS-CoV-2. Corticosteroids (CS) have been widely used as immunomodulating agents, but the right timing, dosage and type of molecule are unknown. In fact, the early use of CS could facilitate the viral replication but late administration may not prevent the alveolar damage. Nevertheless, a short administration of high doses of CS in the early stage of the inflammatory phase resulted in favorable outcomes. Noteworthy, some inhaled CS inhibited in vitro the viral replication of SARS-CoV-2. We aimed to define the place in therapy for CS in COVID-19 infection describing the features of patients who may benefit from their administration.