Efficacy and Safety of Systematic Corticosteroids treatment among HIV-Positive Patients with Tuberculosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Abstract

Introduction The efficacy and safety of corticosteroids in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB) remain controversial. Method PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Database were searched on September 19, 2024. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality, while secondary outcomes included serious adverse events. A random-effects model calculated risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Result Seven RCTs involving 1,410 HIV-positive TB patients were included. Corticosteroid use was not significantly reduce all-cause mortality (RR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.79-1.04, P = 0.17) and did not significantly increase serious adverse events (RR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.82-1.13, P = 0.63). Conclusion This meta-analysis of seven RCTs involving 1,410 HIV-positive TB patients found that corticosteroid treatment neither significantly reduced all-cause mortality nor increased serious adverse events. Further large-scale RCTs with extended follow-up are needed to explore potential benefits in subgroups, optimize treatment protocols, and inform clinical guidelines.