Adding Prednisone to Pneumonia Therapy: Sufficient Evidence?

Pneumonia remains a common cause of hospitalization and death globally. In a recent multicenter, double-blind trial, investigators assessed whether adjunctive corticosteroid therapy might reduce time to clinical stability in patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia. Previously published studies have produced mixed results.

Patients aged ≥18 at seven tertiary care hospitals in Switzerland were randomized to receive usual treatment plus either oral prednisone (50 mg daily) or placebo for 7 days. Exclusion criteria included severe immunosuppression, cystic fibrosis, and active tuberculosis. The primary endpoint was “clinical stability” (as defined by the authors and determined by measures of temperature, respiratory rate, heart r…