COVID STEROID for Patients

The COVID STEROID trial assessed the effects of a corticosteroid compared to placebo (saline) for patients with COVID-19 and severe oxygen deficiency.

Results

• The trial was terminated early due to the results from another trial reporting benefit from corticosteroids in hospitalised patients with COVID-19.
• We were unable to provide any precise estimates of the effects of corticosteroids due to the low number of included patients in the trial.

The trial has contributed to the overall evidence on corticosteroid treatment for COVID-19 together with the results from other trials so that today, most hospitalised patients with COVID-19 receive corticosteroids. The main results have been published in the two separate publications listed below.  

Publications

• Munch MW et al. Low-dose hydrocortisone in patients with COVID-19 and severe hypoxia: The COVID STEROID randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 2021; 65: 1421-30.
• Munch MW, Granholm A, Kjaer MN, Aksnes TS, Solling CG, Christensen S, Perner A. Long-term mortality and health-related quality of life in the COVID STEROID trial. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 2022; 66: 543-45.