Allergy Asthma Respir Dis.  2017 Sep;5(5):280-286. 10.4168/aard.2017.5.5.280.

Efficacy of early steroid use in Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia

• Kim HS
• Song MG
• Kim YW
• Kim KS
• Kim EY
• Kim Y
• Jang HI
• Cho HM

• KMID: 2392404
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4168/aard.2017.5.5.280

Abstract

PURPOSE
The aim of this study was to evaluate whether or not the early use of steroid is useful for treating Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia.
METHODS
A prospective study was conducted on 85 patients with M. pneumoniae pneumonia admitted to Gwangju Christian Hospital between September 2015 and April 2016. A total of 85 patients were enrolled. Of these, 33 were treated with steroids (methyl-prednisolone 1 mg/kg/day), while 52 were not; both were treated with macrolides. The overall duration of fever was compared between the 2 groups and findings on chest radiographs were evaluated for their deterioration.
RESULTS
The duration of fever after admission (1.36±0.92 days vs. 2.17±1.30 days, P=0.003) and the overall duration of fever (4.42±2.13 days vs. 6.07±2.59 days, P=0.003) were significantly lower in the steroid group. The duration of fever before admission was not different between the steroid and macrolide groups (3.06±1.74 days vs. 3.90±2.21 days, P=0.068). On chest radiographs taken 3 days later, 1 of 33 patients in the steroid group and 5 of 50 patients in the macrolide group worsened, although there was no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups (P=0.395). There was no significant difference in the duration of hospitalization between the 2 groups (6.72±1.54 days vs. 6.92±1.87 days, P=0.618).
CONCLUSION
Early administration of steroids on patients with M. pneumoniae pneumonia reduced the duration of fever, but there was no difference in duration of admission and x-ray deterioration.

Keyword

Mycoplasma pneumonia; Steroid; Macrolide

MeSH Terms

Fever
Gwangju
Hospitalization
Humans
Macrolides
Mycoplasma pneumoniae*
Mycoplasma*
Pneumonia*
Pneumonia, Mycoplasma*
Prospective Studies
Radiography, Thoracic
Steroids
Macrolides
Steroids

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