@article {Bafadhel220099, author = {Mona Bafadhel and Rosa Faner and Camille Taill{\'e} and Richard E.K. Russell and Tobias Welte and Peter J. Barnes and Alvar Agust{\'\i}}, title = {Inhaled corticosteroids for the treatment of COVID-19}, volume = {31}, number = {166}, elocation-id = {220099}, year = {2022}, doi = {10.1183/16000617.0099-2022}, publisher = {European Respiratory Society}, abstract = {The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has caused severe illness and mortality for millions worldwide. Despite the development, approval and rollout of vaccination programmes globally to prevent infection by SARS-CoV-2 and the development of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), treatments are still urgently needed to improve outcomes. Early in the pandemic it was observed that patients with pre-existing asthma or COPD were underrepresented among those with COVID-19. Evidence from clinical studies indicates that the inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) routinely taken for asthma and COPD could have had a protective role in preventing severe COVID-19 and, therefore, may be a promising treatment for COVID-19. This review summarises the evidence supporting the beneficial effects of ICS on outcomes in patients with COVID-19 and explores the potential protective mechanisms.Treatments are urgently needed to improve outcomes for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. This review summarises the evidence for the potential protective role of inhaled corticosteroids in preventing severe COVID-19 https://bit.ly/3yCAvfn}, issn = {0905-9180}, URL = {https://err.ersjournals.com/content/31/166/220099}, eprint = {https://err.ersjournals.com/content/31/166/220099.full.pdf}, journal = {European Respiratory Review} }