Tocilizumab in HIV patient with severe COVID-19: case report

Abstract

Abstract Background A 73-year-old male patient who had a history of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection for over 20 years was diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Case presentation The patient was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where he remained for 25 days, due to a severe condition. Intubation, hemodialysis, and tracheostomy were necessary to maintain homeostasis. In addition to regular treatment with etravirine, dolutegravir, darunavir, and ritonavir for highly active antiretroviral therapy, the patient received tocilizumab, which showed a great recovery in the patient’s condition. Conclusion The patient had several risk factors, such as male gender, age > 70 years, and arterial hypertension. The use of tocilizumab was of great importance in the patient’s recovery since the drug increased his immune response, which is deficient, due to HIV infection.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• HIV
• Tocilizumab
• Coinfection
• Case report