Long-term Outcome of Short-course High-dose Glucocorticoids for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS): A 17-Year Follow-up in SARS Survivors

Chor-Wing Sing; Kathryn C B Tan; Ian C K Wong; Bernard M Y Cheung; Ching-Lung Cheung

doi:10.1093/cid/ciaa992

Long-term Outcome of Short-course High-dose Glucocorticoids for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS): A 17-Year Follow-up in SARS Survivors

Clin Infect Dis. 2021 May 18;72(10):1830-1833. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa992.

Authors

Chor-Wing Sing¹, Kathryn C B Tan², Ian C K Wong^{1

3}, Bernard M Y Cheung², Ching-Lung Cheung¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, China.
² Department of Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, China.
³ Research Department of Practice and Policy, UCL School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, United Kingdom.

Abstract

Use of high-dose glucocorticoids for COVID-19 (caused by SARS-CoV-2) is controversial because of safety concerns. We examined the long-term consequences of glucocorticoid use in severe acute respiratory syndrome (caused by SARS-CoV-1) survivors. Results showed that high-dose glucocorticoids greatly increased the long-term risk of avascular necrosis but not other major diseases.

Keywords: SARS; avascular necrosis; clinical outcomes; follow-up; glucocorticoids.

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Follow-Up Studies
Glucocorticoids* / adverse effects
Humans
SARS-CoV-2
Survivors

Substances

Glucocorticoids