Previous Steroid Use and Severity of COVID-19

Corticosteroid use is associated with infection and other adverse events because of its immunosuppressive properties. Severe infections run a triphasic course. In the first phase, respiratory symptoms and fever result from an innate and adaptive immune system response to eliminate the virus. In the second phase, viral multiplication and lung inflammation result from pneumonia. The third phase is a syndrome of hyperinflammation due to high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin IL-2, IL-6, IL-7, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha.

Source: Journal of the American Medical Directors Association - September 4, 2023 Category: Health Management Authors: Brinda D. Basida, Stefan Gravenstein, Frank DeVone, Yasin Abul, Mriganka Singh, Aaron Nepaul, Nishay Tariq, Ciera Leeder, Thomas Bayer Tags: Letter to the Editor Source Type: research