Con: Corticosteroids Are Not Indicated for Treatment of Acute Lung Injury from H1N1 Viral Pneumonia

摘要

Severe viral pneumonia has been recognized for decades as an important cause of acute lung injury (ALI) and the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (1), and therefore it is not surprising that the A/H1N1 2009-2010 influenza pandemic was associated with substantial morbidity and mortality from acute respiratory failure (2, 3). In addition to antiviral therapy and other supportive measures, many clinicians administered corticosteroids to patients with ALI/ARDS, hoping that steroid therapy would reduce lung inflammation and improve clinical outcomes (4). However, no randomized clinical trials have been performed to test the potential benefit or harm of steroid therapy for ALI/ARDS from acute viral pneumonia.