Outcomes of Steroid and Pulse Steroid Therapies in COVID-19 Inpatients Requiring Oxygen Therapy, Retrospective Case Control Study

Background: A limited number of studies have been conducted examining the course of the disease and the effectiveness of corticosteroid treatments in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia requiring oxygen support. This study assessed steroid effectiveness in oxygen-dependent COVID-19 patients. Methods: Included in the study were 670 patients who required oxygen support during their hospital stay among the 6,532 Covid-19 patients between 1 August 2020 and 1 June 2021. Demographic data, comorbidities, duration of oxygen therapy, length of hospital stay, corticosteroid treatments (dexamethasone, methylprednisolone) and pulse corticosteroid treatments (methylprednisolone ≥ 250 mg) were recorded. We analyzed data using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Program (Version 16.0. Chicago, SPSS) and applied Shapiro-Wilk, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, and Chi-square tests for statistical significance (p