Table1 Characteristics of Included Studies
Author, year | Country | Design | Size | Age (Median/median range, years) | Glucocorticoids dose (Equivalent of MP) | Glucocorticoids type | Treatment timing (From illness onset, median days) | Treatment duration (Median/range, days) | Time frame of viral clearance delay (Follow-up) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cao and Zhu et al. [20] | China | CC | 87 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | 14-, 10-day |
Chang and Zhao et al. [21] | China | CC | 67 | 14–59 | NA | NA | NA | NA | 16-day (16 days) |
Chen and Li et al. [23] | China | RC | 70 | 47–64 | 0.5–1 mg/kg/d (low dose); 1–2 mg/kg/d (medium-dose); 200–400 mg/d (high-dose) | NA | NA | NA | NA |
Chen and Song et al. [22] | China | RC | 371 | 63–65 | Mean 49.5 mg/d | DM, MP, PN | Mean 14.1 | Mean 9.1 | NA |
Chen and Zhu et al. [9] | China | RC | 267 | 49 | NA | NA | NA | NA | 45-day |
Cogliati-Dezza and Oliva et al. [5] | Italy | CC | 179 | 62 | NA | DM, MP | NA | NA | 14-day |
Ding and Feng et al. [24] | China | RC | 82 | 49 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
Fang and Mei et al. [25] | China | RC | 55 | 39.9–60.6 | Median 38 mg/d in general patients; 40 mg/d in severe patients | MP | NA | 7 in general patients; 4.5 in severe patients | NA |
Feng and Li et al. [6] | China | CC | 564 | 47 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA (50Â days) |
Fu and Luo et al. [26] | China | RC | 33 | 41–65 | 1 mg/kg/d | MP | NA | NA | NA (≥ 22 days) |
Gong and Guan et al. [27] | China | RC | 34 | 33.8–38.2 | 1–2 mg/kg/d | MP | NA | 5–10 | NA |
Hu and Li et al. [10] | China | CC | 206 | Mean 53.7 | 40Â mg/d (low-dose); 80Â mg/d (high-dose) | MP | NA | NA | 30-day |
Hu and Yin et al. [28] | China | CC | 183 | 49 | Median 43.3Â mg/d | NA | NA | 4 | 20-day |
Huang and Zhu et al. [11] | China | RC | 309 | 45 | 40–160 mg/d | MP | NA | NA | NA (40 days) |
Jeronimo and Farias et al. [29] | Brazil | RCT | 283 | Mean 55 | 1Â mg/kg/day | MP | NA | 5 | 5-, 7-day |
Ji and Zhang et al. [30] | China | RC | 490 | 61 | 1–2 mg/kg/day | DM, MP, PN | NA | 3–5 | 14-, 28-day |
Li and Cao et al. [31] | China | CC | 66 | 47.5 | NA | MP | NA | NA | 11-day |
Li and Li et al. [12] | China | RC | 475 | 42 | 20 or 40Â mg/d | MP, PS | 2 (from admission) | NA | NA (50Â days) |
Li and Meng et al. [32] | China | RC | 294 | 66 | Median 40Â mg/d | DM, MP, HC, PN | 0 (from ICU admission) | 9 | NA (90Â days) |
Liang and Chen et al. [33] | China | RC | 966 | 60 |  ≤ 1–2 mg/kg/d | MP | NA |  > 3 | NA (≥ 50 days) |
Liu and Li et al. [35] | China | RC | 646 | 57 | Median 80Â mg/d | DM, MP, PN | 13 | NA | NA |
Liu and Zhang et al. [34] | China | RC | 774 | 64 | Median 40Â mg/d | MP, PS | 1 (from admission) | 6 | 30-day |
Lu and Liu et al. [36] | China | RC | 374 | 47–51 | Median 220 mg (cumulative dose) | NA |  ≤ 5 (from admission) | 4 | NA (≥ 40 days) |
Ma and Qi et al. [37] | China | RC | 72 | Mean 60 | 40 or 80Â mg/d | MP | NA | 3 | NA |
Ma and Zeng et al. [38] | China | RC | 368 | Mean 46.2 | Median 56.6Â mg/d | MP, PS | 9 | 5 | NA |
Masia and Fernandez-Gonzalez et al. [39] | Spain | RC | 77 | 63.5–71 | 250–500 mg/d | MP | NA | 3 | NA |
Ni and Ding et al. [40] | China | RC | 72 | 46–52 | 0.75–1.5 mg/kg/d | MP | NA | NA | NA |
Qi and Yang et al. [41] | China | CC | 147 | 42 | NA | NA | NA | NA | 17-day |
Shi and Wu et al. [42] | China | CC | 99 | 54 | Median 60Â mg/d | NA | 8 | NA | 28-day |
Shu and He et al. [43] | China | CC | 83 | 43 | NA | NA | NA | NA | 16-day |
Spagnuolo and Guffanti et al. [44] | Italy | RC | 149 | 63.5 | Median of 0.38 mg/kg/d | DM, MP, PN | 1 (from admission) | 9 | 14-, 14 to 28-, 28 to 40-, > 40-day |
Wu and Hou et al. [45] | China | RC | 382 | Mean 60.7 | NA | DM, MP, PN | NA | NA | NA |
Xia and Xu et al. [46] | China | RC | 49 | NA | 0.75–1.5 mg/kg/d | MP |  ≤ 3 (from admission) | NA | NA (≥ 10 days) |
Xiong and Jin et al. [50] | China | RC | 66 | Mean 62 | Median 400 mg (cumulative dose) | NA | 9 | NA | NA (≥ 30 days) |
Xu and Chen et al. [47] | China | CC | 113 | 52 | 0.5–1 mg/kg/d | MP | NA | NA | 15-day |
Yan and Liu et al. [7] | China | CC | 120 | 52 | NA | NA | NA | NA | 23-day |
Yuan and Xu et al. [8] | China | RC | 132 | 43.7–52 | Median 52.2 mg/d | MP | 8.3 | 10.8 | NA |
Zha and Li et al. [48] | China | RC | 31 | 39 | 40–80 mg/d | MP | NA | NA | NA |
Zuo and Liu et al.. [49] | China | CC | 181 | Mean 44.3 | NA | NA | NA | NA | 21-day |