Initial experience with short-course corticosteroids in a small cohort of adults with severe COVID-19 in a tertiary care hospital in India

Severe COVID 19 disease is associated with high morbidity and mortality with limited therapeutic options. The role of glucocorticoids in treatment of COVID 19 has been riddled with controversy. The study site has been using glucocorticoids in patients with severe COVID 19 since the first few patients of COVID 19 that were admitted. In the initial cohort of 7 patients with severe COVID disease, use of methylprednisolone in a dose of 30 mg twice daily was associated with rapid improvement in oxygenation and decline in CRP levels. While six patients made a complete clinical recovery, one patient died. There were no secondary infections.