Düzce Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi (Apr 2021)

Potential Immunological Treatments in COVID-19 Patients

  • Muhammet Mesut Nezir Engin,
  • Öner Özdemir

DOI
https://doi.org/10.18678/dtfd.856165
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 23, no. 1
pp. 1 – 9

Abstract

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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) seemed in Wuhan, China in December 2019. SARS-CoV-2 infection in human was named as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It has now infected more than 69 million people worldwide, becoming an epidemic responsible for more than 1,5 million deaths until 10th of December 2020. The epidemic still continues. This epidemic is the third epidemic caused by coronaviruses in the 21st century and may be the most important infectious disease representing a major public health threat to the whole world. Treatments against COVID-19 are constantly updated in the literature, based on evidence. Unfortunately, there is no definitive cure for COVID-19, and a number of drugs for use in severe cases of COVID-19 are now being studied in a number of nonrandomized or randomized trials. These include chloroquine, steroids, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral agents. Immunological treatments such as convalescent plasma, intravenous immunoglobulin, monoclonal antibodies (tocilizumab, eculizumab, itolizumab etc.), and anakinra treatments are tried in COVID-19 disease. Results from some trials look promising. Quite a few reports have also stood published so far on the use of immunological treatments for COVID-19 cases. In this review, we will discuss the key immunological treatments, mostly mentioned in the current literature, used in COVID-19 patients in detail.

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