Lancet Respir Med 2021 Apr 9. Epub 2021 Apr 9.
Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK. Electronic address:
Background: Multiple early reports of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 showed that patients with chronic respiratory disease were significantly under-represented in these cohorts. We hypothesised that the widespread use of inhaled glucocorticoids among these patients was responsible for this finding, and tested if inhaled glucocorticoids would be an effective treatment for early COVID-19.
Methods: We performed an open-label, parallel-group, phase 2, randomised controlled trial (Steroids in COVID-19; STOIC) of inhaled budesonide, compared with usual care, in adults within 7 days of the onset of mild COVID-19 symptoms. Read More