Low Doses Corticosteroids as Adjuvant Therapy for the Treatment of Severe H1N1 Flu

Summary

The H1N1 flu pandemic is one of the major infectious threat of the past half century. it is rapidly progressing worldwide and a substantial number of patients get severe H1N1 related pneumonia that requires mechanical ventilation and admission to the intensive care unit. The acute respiratory distress syndrome is associated with a substantial mortality and morbidity partly as a consequence of uncontrolled lung and systemic inflammation. many physicians are trying to counteract this pro-inflammatory storm by the use of corticosteroids albeit these drugs may cause super infection or metabolic disorders. Thus, there is a need for a randomized double blind, placebo controlled trial to define the benefit to risk ratio of corticosteroids in this patient.

Timeline

Start

2010-03

Primary completion

2011-06

Completion

2011-12

Publications

• Results Annane D, Antona M, Lehmann B, Kedzia C, Chevret S; CORTIFLU Investigators; CRICs; AZUREA; REVA/SRLF networks. Designing and conducting a randomized trial for pandemic critical illness: the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. Intensive Care Med. 2012 Jan;38(1):29-39. doi: 10.1007/s00134-011-2409-8. Epub 2011 Nov 26.

Drugs

Indications