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Objective: Immunosuppressive drugs are included in the treatment protocols of severe COVID-19 cases that may present with cytokine storm. In this study, we aimed to examine the characteristics of COVID-19 patients who received immunosuppressive therapy Methods: Patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and followed in the quarantine wards of our hospital between 01.03.2020-24.05.2020 were included in the study. Patient information was obtained retrospectively from patient files and discharge reports, and 263 COVID-19 patients -aged 18 and over- were included in the study. Results: The median age of the patients who received immunosuppressive therapy was 60.74 ± 1.96, and 39.6% of them were women. The average symptom duration of the patients examined in the study at the time of admission to the hospital was 4.59 ± 0.29 days. There was a significant difference in age, lymphocyte count, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, C-reactive protein, ferritin, D-Dimer, blood oxygen saturation, fever after antiviral therapy, qSOFA score, and total hospital stay between the two groups that received and did not receive immunosuppressive therapy (p<0.05). The need for immunosuppressive therapy increased 15.9 times over the age of 40, 15.6 times in the presence of diffuse involvement on thoracic CT, 6.6 times in the presence of chronic disease, 2.7 times in the presence of thrombocytopenia, and 1.7 times in the presence of lymphopenia (p <0.05). Conclusions: We observed that patients whose immunosuppressive therapy was added to their treatment protocols were admitted to the hospital later than others, had more prevalent involvement in thorax CT, high acute phase reactants, low SPO2, and more than one underlying disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In December 2019, a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was identified as the cause of clustered pneumonia cases in Wuhan, a city in the Hubei Province of China. The virus rapidly spread to the rest of the world after a huge epidemic in China and WHO has declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020. SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted via respiratory droplets and fomites during close unprotected contact. The airborne spread has not been established as a major route of transmission. The mean incubation period of the illness is 5 days and it mainly presents with fever and respiratory symptoms. Myalgia, loss of taste and smell, diarrhea and dermatological findings are also common during the course of the disease. Laboratory findings are nonspecific. Significant elevations in inflammation markers can be observed in some patients due to cytokine storm. Typical CT findings are bilateral ground glass opacities and consolidation with peripheral and lower lobes distribution. COVID-19 causes mild symptoms in most cases, however it may progress to severe pneumonia leading to ARDS and death, especially in those with advanced age and comorbid diseases. There is no specific effective antiviral treatment for COVID-19. A number of in vitro effective agents have been identified. These agents such as chloroquine phosphate/hydroxychloroquine, favipiravir, remdesivir, lopinavir/ritonavir are widely used in the treatment of the disease. Convalescent plasma therapy and the cytokine inhibitory agents such as tocilizumab, used to treat disease-induced cytokine storm, are particularly preferred in the treatment severe cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]