1. A REVIEW ON FUNCTION AND SIDE EFFECTS OF SYSTEMIC CORTICOSTEROIDS USED IN HIGH-GRADE COVID-19 TO PREVENT CYTOKINE STORMS.
- Author
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Langarizadeh, Mohammad Amin, Tavakoli, Marziye Ranjbar, Abiri, Ardavan, Ghasempour, Ali, Rezaei, Masoud, and Ameri, Alieh
- Subjects
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COVID-19 , *CYTOKINE release syndrome , *SARS-CoV-2 , *VIRUS diseases , *COVID-19 treatment , *ADRENOCORTICAL hormones - Abstract
In December 2019, a cluster of pneumonia caused by a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), officially known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. Cytokine storm is an uncontrolled systemic inflammatory response resulting from the release of large amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines that occurs at phase 3 of viral infection. Such emergence led to the development of many clinical trials to discover efficient drugs and therapeutic protocols to fight with this single-stranded RNA virus. Corticosteroids suppress inflammation of the lungs during the cytokine storm, weaken immune responses, and inhibit the elimination of pathogen. For this reason, in COVID-19 corticosteroid therapy, systemic inhibition of inflammation is observed with a wide range of side effects. The present review discusses the effectiveness of the corticosteroid application in COVID-19 infection and the related side effects of these agents. In summary, a number of corticosteroids, including and especially methylprednisolone and dexamethasone, have demonstrated remarkable efficacy, particularly for COVID-19 patients who underwent mechanical ventilation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
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