EFFICACY OF TOCILIZUMAB IN THE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH SEVERE INFECTION
SIMONA CLAUDIA CAMBREA 1,2#, LUCIAN CRISTIAN PETCU 3#, OANA CRISTINA ARGHIR 1,4#, IRINA MAGDALENA DUMITRU 1,2, SIMONA DIACONU 2, ELENA DUMEA 1,2*, IULIANA ROMELIA MITAN 2, SORINA DALIA CARP 2, STELA HALICHIDIS 1,2
1Faculty of Medicine, University “Ovidius” of Constanța, 1 Universității Alley, Campus, Corp B, 900470 Constanța, Romania
2Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases, 100 Ferdinand Boulevard, 900709 Constanța, Romania 3Faculty of Dentistry, University “Ovidius” of Constanța, 7 Ilarie Voronca Street, 900178 Constanța, Romania 4Clinical Hospital of Pneumophthysiology, 40 Sentinelei Street, 900002 Constanța, Romania
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Since the revealing of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the broad clinical spectrum of COVID-19 and, especially, the acute severe respiratory syndrome, have alarmed the whole medical world. The pathogenesis of COVID-19 is complex and unknown since the beginning of the pandemic. Many proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukine-6 (IL-6), are involved in the occurrence of cytokine release syndrome, having an important role in the severe evolution and death of COVID-19 patients. For evaluating the role of tocilizumab (TCZ), an anti-IL-6 agent, we analysed the survival in 149 COVID-19 patients from the first day of therapy until the next 90 days of follow-up. Less than half of patients (18.79%) died. The mean survival period was 75.05 days. The evolution of the inflammatory syndrome was favourable at 3 and 7 days, after TCZ administration, with a statistically significant decreased amount of fibrinogen, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein. The risk factors of death rate were age over 60 and pre-existing co-morbidities, as heart disease and obesity. The administration of TCZ in severe COVID-19 patients as in other studies was beneficial.