The Role of Long-term Low-dose Methylprednisolone Treatment on Long Covid Patients

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether the two-month low-dose methylprednisolone therapy might improve symptomatic, radiologic, and laboratory findings of long COVID-19. Many patients have emerged to hospitals with residual symptoms due to Sars Cov-2 pneumonia in the post-COVID period. They had not enough treatment and need a novelty medical approach.

Methods: This study is single-center, retrospective, and investigated the response to methylprednisolone therapy in long COVID-19 patients with persistent symptoms between October 2020 and April 2021. The medical history, blood analysis, and current lung tomography results of 158 patients with ongoing symptoms at least one month later the acute illness were evaluated. Thirty-two patients were excluded from the study because of the exclusion criteria. After all, we wanted to assess the effects of oral methylprednisolone therapy in gradually decreasing doses of totally 680 mg on one hundred twenty-six patients had been given. But we could research ninety-seven patients' findings due to twenty-nine patients were not attending follow-up.

Results: The mean age of the patients was 50,8 years, and 52.6% were male. Each of the resistant symptoms was improved by methylprednisolone therapy. Laboratory findings were similar before and after the treatment, except for creatine and D dimer. Radiologic amelioration was promising on lung CT signs. We detected a mild-moderate positive correlation between neutrophil, ferritin, LDH, and D-Dimer levels to lung CT involvement pre-methylprednisolone treatment.          

Conclusion: Low-dose methylprednisolone therapy may be an option for the symptomatic and radiological treatment of long Covid-19 patients.