Corticosteroids could reduce 90-day mortality rates in patients with tuberculosis who are in acute respiratory failure, according to researchers in South Korea.

Researchers analyzed 124 patient records, with about 57% of the patients receiving corticosteroids as adjuvant therapy. Sixty-one patients died, yielding a 90-day mortality rate of 49.2%.

Researchers reported the mortality rate was similar regardless of steroid use: 50% in the nonsteroid group and 48.6% in the steroid group. However, when researchers compared the two groups using an adjusted inverse-probability-of-treatment-weighted method, they reported corticosteroid use was independently associated with a reduced 90-day mortality rate.

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