All diseases cause inflammation, it's the bodies basic response to everything, like cuts and whatnot. That said, this may also be why they figured out certain steroids helped COVID patients by reducing this hyper reaction. I rememebr reading some steroids became a frontline treatment at some point mid way through the year at certain medical centers.

But any pathologist would have known immediately about the risks of inflammation and that being the auto-response. It would have been evaluated is what I'm assuming.

I have colitis which similarly causes artificial immune response in the digestive tract and they used steroids to help reduce the inflammation which was causing other serious problems in my body. But only during a very serious episode. Other lighter approaches are available to keep it under control.

Note: I'm not a medical expert at all and could be talking out of my ass. Just basing this on personal experience and some personal reading into pathology.