Critical Illness-Related Corticosteroid Insufficiency (CIRCI) Among Patients with COVID-19 at a Tertiary Hospital: Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes*

OBJECTIVES: Among critically ill patients, there is usually impairment of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, leading to a condition known as critical illness-related corticosteroid insufficiency (CIRCI). This investigation aims to determine the incidence of and characterize CIRCI among patients with COVID-19 as well as to analyze the outcomes of these critically ill patients. METHODOLOGY: This is a single-center, retrospective cohort study that investigated the occurrence of CIRCI among critically ill patients infected with COVID-19. RESULTS: In this cohort, there were 145 COVID-19-positive patients with refractory shock, which reflects that 22.94% of the COVID-19 admissions have probable CIRCI. Patients who were given corticosteroids were found to have statistically significant longer median days on a ventilator (p=0.001). However, those on the corticosteroid arm were at higher risk of morbidity and mortality and a greater proportion had organ dysfunction. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that SOFA score was a significant predictor of mortality in CIRCI (p=0.013). CONCLUSION: CIRCI has a unique presentation among patients with COVID-19 because of the presence of a high level of inflammation in this life-threatening infection. It is possibly a harbinger of a markedly increased risk of mortality in these patients.