Meta-analysis of corticosteroid treatment in XXXX .

@entity1 @entity32 @entity296 @entity731 @entity1188 @entity583
@entity32 play a central role in the pathophysiology of @entity731 . Corticosteroids are the gold standard anti-inflammatory agent and may have a role in treating @entity583 . However, concern exists regarding the potential for impaired wound healing and wall thinning. The MEDLINE and PreMEDLINE databases were searched for articles from 1966 through May 2002. A total of 186 articles and 16 English-language publications were identified. A meta-analysis of mortality in controlled trials was performed. Sensitivity analyses and 2 tests for publication bias were used to test the robustness of the results. Sixteen studies involving 3,793 @entity1 were reviewed. Most studies were small (<100 @entity1 ) and revealed conflicting efficacy using surrogate outcome measures, such as @entity1188 size. No clear association with @entity296 was observed. Meta-analysis of 11 controlled trials (2,646 @entity1 ) revealed a 26% decrease in mortality with corticosteroids (odds ratio 0.74, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.59 to 0.94; p = 0.015). Sensitivity analyses limited to large studies and randomized controlled trials revealed odds ratios of 0.76 (95% CI 0.53 to 1.09) and 0.95 (95% CI 0.72 to 1.26), respectively. Two tests revealed no evidence for publication bias. Thus, the review of available clinical studies demonstrated no harm and a possible mortality benefit of corticosteroids in @entity583 .
