Parikh NS, et al. - This research aspired to ascertain the prevalence of steroid therapy at the time of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) and to evaluate the association between steroid therapy and extent of vasogenic edema. Corticosteroid therapy frequently preceded the onset of PRES, often of brief duration. Moreover, corticosteroid therapy was not correlated with severity of vasogenic edema.

• Between 2008 and 2014, the clinicians conducted a retrospective review of radiology reports from two academic medical centers to identify cases of PRES.
• They collected clinical and radiographic data.
• They used descriptive statistics to determine the prevalence of corticosteroid therapy at the time of PRES onset and the latency from steroid initiation to PRES onset.
• They evaluated the association between steroid therapy and extent of vasogenic edema in multiple regression models.

• A total of 99 cases of PRES were identified in 96 patients.
• In this study, the median age was 55 years (IQR 30-65) and 74% were women.
• The clinicians identified steroid therapy at the time of PRES onset in 44 of 99 cases.
• The median duration of steroid exposure before PRES onset was 6 (IQR, 3-10) days, excluding patients on chronic therapy.
• As per the outcomes, steroid therapy was not correlated with the extent of vasogenic edema in unadjusted or linear and logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, and maximum systolic blood pressure on the day of onset.