Effect of Corticosteroids on treatment failure among hospitalized patients with sever community-acquired pneumonia and high inflammatory response: a randomized clinical trial.

IMPORTANCE: In patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia, treatment failure is associated with excessive inflammatory response and worse outcomes. Corticosteroids may modulate cytokine release in these patients, but the benefit of this adjunctive therapy remains controversial. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of corticosteroids in patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia and high associated inflammatory response. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted in 3 Spanish teaching hospitals involving patients with both severe community-acquired pneumonia and a high inflammatory response, which was defined as a level of C-reactive protein greater than 150 mg/L at admission. Patients were recruited and followed up from June 2004 through February 2012. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomized to receive either an intravenous bolus of 0.5 mg/kg per 12 hours of methylprednisolone (n = 61) or placebo (n = 59) for 5 days started within 36 hours of hospital admission. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was treatment failure (composite outcome of early treatment failure defined as [1] clinical deterioration indicated by development of shock, [2] need for invasive mechanical ventilation not present at baseline, or [3] death within 72 hours of treatment; or composite outcome of late treatment failure defined as [1] radiographic progression, [2] persistence of severe respiratory failure, [3] development of shock, [4] need for invasive mechanical ventilation not present at baseline, or [5] death between 72 hours and 120 hours after treatment initiation; or both early and late treatment failure). In-hospital mortality was a secondary outcome and adverse events were assessed. RESULTS: There was less treatment failure among patients from the methylprednisolone group (8 patients [13%]) compared with the placebo group (18 patients [31%]) (P = .02), with a difference between groups of 18% (95% CI, 3% to 32%). Corticosteroid treatment reduced the risk of treatment failure (odds ratio, 0.34 [95% CI, 0.14 to 0.87]; P = .02). In-hospital mortality did not differ between the 2 groups (6 patients [10%] in the methylprednisolone group vs 9 patients [15%] in the placebo group; P = .37); the difference between groups was 5% (95% CI, -6% to 17%). Hyperglycemia occurred in 11 patients (18%) in the methylprednisolone group and in 7 patients (12%) in the placebo group (P = .34). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia and high initial inflammatory response, the acute use of methylprednisolone compared with placebo decreased treatment failure. If replicated, these findings would support the use of corticosteroids as adjunctive treatment in this clinical population

Diagnostic delay of associated interstitial lung disease increases mortality in rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease whose main extra-articular organ affected is the lung, sometimes in the form of diffuse interstitial lung disease (ILD) and conditions the prognosis. A multicenter, observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study of consecutive patients diagnosed with RA-ILD. Demographic, analytical, respiratory functional and evolution characteristics were analyzed to evaluate the predictors of progression and mortality. 106 patients were included. The multivariate analysis showed that the diagnostic delay was an independent predictor of mortality (HR 1.11, CI 1.01-1.23, p = 0.035). Also, age (HR 1.33, 95% CI 1.09-1.62, p = 0.0045), DLCO (%) (HR 0.85, 95% CI 0.73-0.98, p = 0.0246), and final SatO2 (%) in the 6MWT (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.39-0.99, p = 0.0465) were independent predictor variables of mortality, as well as GAP index (HR 4.65, 95% CI 1.59-13.54, p = 0.0051) and CPI index (HR 1.12, 95% CI 1.03-1.22, p = 0.0092). The withdrawal of MTX or LFN after ILD diagnosis was associated with disease progression in the COX analysis (HR 2.18, 95% CI 1.14-4.18, p = 0.019). This is the first study that highlights the diagnostic delay in RA-ILD is associated with an increased mortality just like happens in IPF

Effect of Corticosteroids on treatment failure among hospitalized patients with sever community-acquired pneumonia and high inflammatory response: a randomized clinical trial.

IMPORTANCE: In patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia, treatment failure is associated with excessive inflammatory response and worse outcomes. Corticosteroids may modulate cytokine release in these patients, but the benefit of this adjunctive therapy remains controversial. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of corticosteroids in patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia and high associated inflammatory response. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted in 3 Spanish teaching hospitals involving patients with both severe community-acquired pneumonia and a high inflammatory response, which was defined as a level of C-reactive protein greater than 150 mg/L at admission. Patients were recruited and followed up from June 2004 through February 2012. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomized to receive either an intravenous bolus of 0.5 mg/kg per 12 hours of methylprednisolone (n = 61) or placebo (n = 59) for 5 days started within 36 hours of hospital admission. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was treatment failure (composite outcome of early treatment failure defined as [1] clinical deterioration indicated by development of shock, [2] need for invasive mechanical ventilation not present at baseline, or [3] death within 72 hours of treatment; or composite outcome of late treatment failure defined as [1] radiographic progression, [2] persistence of severe respiratory failure, [3] development of shock, [4] need for invasive mechanical ventilation not present at baseline, or [5] death between 72 hours and 120 hours after treatment initiation; or both early and late treatment failure). In-hospital mortality was a secondary outcome and adverse events were assessed. RESULTS: There was less treatment failure among patients from the methylprednisolone group (8 patients [13%]) compared with the placebo group (18 patients [31%]) (P = .02), with a difference between groups of 18% (95% CI, 3% to 32%). Corticosteroid treatment reduced the risk of treatment failure (odds ratio, 0.34 [95% CI, 0.14 to 0.87]; P = .02). In-hospital mortality did not differ between the 2 groups (6 patients [10%] in the methylprednisolone group vs 9 patients [15%] in the placebo group; P = .37); the difference between groups was 5% (95% CI, -6% to 17%). Hyperglycemia occurred in 11 patients (18%) in the methylprednisolone group and in 7 patients (12%) in the placebo group (P = .34). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia and high initial inflammatory response, the acute use of methylprednisolone compared with placebo decreased treatment failure. If replicated, these findings would support the use of corticosteroids as adjunctive treatment in this clinical population

Prognostic factors of progressive fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis: a large, retrospective, multicentre, observational cohort study

Background Fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis ( fHP) is an immune-mediated interstitial lung disease caused by sensitisation to chronic allergen inhalation. This study aimed to determine prognostic indicators of progression and mortality in fHP. Methods This was a retrospective, multicentre, observational, cross-sectional cohort study of consecutive patients diagnosed with fHP from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2021. Multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals for predictors of progression and survival. Results A total of 403 patients were diagnosed with fHP: median (interquartile range) age 66.5 (14.0) years, 51.9% females and 55.1% never-smokers. The cause of fHP was mainly fungal (39.7%) or avian (41.4%). Lung biopsy was performed in 269 cases (66.7%). In the whole cohort the variables that were related to mortality or lung transplant were older age (HR 1.08; p<0.001), percentage predicted forced vital capacity (HR 0.96; p=0.001), lymphocytosis in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) (HR 0.93; p=0.001), presence of acute exacerbation during follow-up (HR 3.04; p=0.001) and GAP (gender, age and lung physiology) index (HR 1.96; p<0.01). In the group of biopsied patients, the presence of fibroblastic foci at biopsy (HR 8.39; p<0.001) stands out in multivariate Cox regression analyses as a highly significant predictor for increased mortality or lung transplant. GAP index (HR 1.26; p=0.009), lymphocytosis in BAL (HR 0.97; p=0.018) and age (HR 1.03; p=0.018) are also predictors of progression. Conclusions The study identified several prognostic factors for progression and/or survival in fHP. The presence of fibroblastic foci at biopsy was a consistent predictor for increased mortality and the presence of lymphocytosis in BAL was inversely related to mortality