Systemic Corticosteroids in Children With Pneumonia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract

Corticosteroids are effective adjunct treatment for certain infectious diseases. However, their role in children with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains unclear. We aim to assess the efficacy and safety of adjunct corticosteroid therapy in pediatric CAP. A systematic literature search was conducted on MEDLINE to retrieve studies assessing systemic corticosteroid therapy, given alongside antimicrobial regimens, in pediatric CAP (last search date December 31, 2024). Literature screening, quality assessment, and data extraction were conducted by 2 independent reviewers. Heterogeneity and publication bias were detected by I2 and Egger’s tests. The data were pooled using the random-effects model for the conduction of meta-analysis.