Preadmission Oral Corticosteroids Are Associated With Reduced Risk of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in Critically Ill Adults With Sepsis*

OBJECTIVES: To determine the association between preadmission oral corticosteroid receipt and the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome in critically ill patients with sepsis. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. SETTING: Medical, surgical, trauma, and cardiovascular ICUs of an academic medical center. PATIENTS: A total of 1,080 critically ill patients with sepsis. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The unadjusted occurrence rate of acute respiratory distress syndrome within 96 hours of ICU admission was 35% among patients who had received oral corticosteroids compared with 42% among those who had not (p = 0.107). In a multivariable analysis controlling for prespecified confounders, preadmission oral corticosteroids were associated with a lower incidence of acute respiratory distress syndrome in the 96 hours after ICU admission (odds ratio, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.33-0.84; p = 0.008), a finding that persisted in multiple sensitivity analyses. The median daily dose of oral corticosteroids among the 165 patients receiving oral corticosteroids, in prednisone equivalents, was 10 mg (interquartile range, 5-30 mg). Higher doses of preadmission oral corticosteroids were associated with a lower incidence of acute respiratory distress syndrome (odds ratio for 30 mg of prednisone compared with 5 mg 0.53; 95% CI, 0.32-0.86). In multivariable analyses, preadmission oral corticosteroids were not associated with in-hospital mortality (odds ratio, 1.41; 95% CI, 0.87-2.28; p = 0.164), ICU length of stay (odds ratio, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.63-1.30; p = 0.585), or ventilator-free days (odds ratio, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.71-1.57; p = 0.783). CONCLUSIONS: Among ICU patients with sepsis, preadmission oral corticosteroids were independently associated with a lower incidence of early acute respiratory distress syndrome.