Dexamethasone treatment has no effect on the formation of pneumococcal antibodies during community-acquired pneumonia

Abstract

In this study, the effect of dexamethasone on the formation of pneumococcal antibodies during community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) was investigated. No differences between CAP patients receiving dexamethasone as additional therapy and patients receiving a placebo were found with respect to immune response rates and mean baseline and convalescent-phase antibody concentrations.

Fig 1

Flow chart of the inclusion criteria and number of patients included in this study. Three hundred four CAP patients were randomized to receive either dexamethasone or placebo therapy. A diagnosis of S. pneumoniae as the causative agent was based on either a positive sputum or blood culture or a positive urine antigen test. A baseline serum sample drawn from day 0 to day 3 and a convalescent-phase sample drawn from day 11 to day 100 of hospitalization had to be available.

Fig 2

Concentrations of IgG against the infecting pneumococcal serotype in CAP patients receiving dexamethasone (A, n = 11) or a placebo (B, n = 8). The baseline serum sample was obtained from day 0 to day 3 after hospital admission, and the convalescent-phase serum sample was obtained from day 11 to day 100 after hospital admission. The open circles are mean antibody levels ± SE.