Systemic Corticosteroid Use for COVID-19 in US Outpatient Settings From April 2020 to August 2021

In June 2020, preliminary results for the Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy (RECOVERY) trial conducted in the UK indicated benefit from dexamethasone in severely ill hospitalized patients with COVID-19 but potential harm in those not requiring oxygen. In October 2020, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued COVID-19 treatment guidelines advising against systemic corticosteroid use in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19. Using two large US health care claims databases, we examined systemic corticosteroid use among non-hospitalized patients with COVID-19.