Prospects for adjuvant therapy with systemic corticosteroids for community-acquired pneumonia: from experiment to clinical practice

Some patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia develop fatal complications in the form of acute respiratory distress syndrome and/or septic shock despite the timely adequate antibacterial therapy and presumably due to an excessive uncontrolled systemic inflammatory response and inadequate adrenal response to infection due to the critical illness-related corticosteroid insufficiency (CRICI). Therefore, the additional use of systemic corticosteroids can significantly improve the survival of patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia.

Aim. To present the most current preclinical and clinical studies and meta-analyses assessing the effectiveness and safety of the use of systemic corticosteroids for communityacquired pneumonia.

The results of these studies demonstrate that the most optimal regimen for the use of systemic corticosteroids in terms of risk and benefit is early (the first 3 days), low-dose (the dose equivalent of 6 mg/day dexamethasone) short-course (5 – 7 days) therapy with immediate withdrawal of the drugs. This regimen produces the best effect in patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia who require ventilation (invasive or non-invasive) with PEEP ≥ 5 cm H₂O or high-flow oxygen therapy with FiO₂ ≥ 50% and a PaO₂/FiO₂ ratio less than 300 and/or vasopressor support.

Conclusion. Currently, the federal clinical guidelines do not recommend the routine use of corticosteroids in adult patients with community-acquired pneumonia, with the exception of patients with refractory septic shock. However, this narrative review presents evidence supporting the use of adjunctive corticosteroid therapy in adult patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia, particularly when complicated by septic shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome, comorbid asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, provided there is no pulmonary suppuration, severe influenza or mycotic infection. Undoubtedly, this is a compelling argument in favor of revising existing domestic clinical guidelines regarding the use of systemic corticosteroids. Thus, further research is needed to identify subgroups of patients who may benefit from or potentially be harmed by corticosteroids. In addition, it is necessary to determine the optimal regimen for the use of corticosteroids in terms of specific drugs, their dose, routes of administration, frequency and duration of therapy, as well as the withdrawal.

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