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Case Report: Effectiveness of tocilizumab in obese patient for treatment of severe COVID-19 pneumonia

Oshna Pandey, S. Adhikari, T. Ghising, Purnima Shakya

F1000Research, 2022

Abstract

The purpose of this case report was to demonstrate the efficacy of Tocilizumab in the treatment of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in obese patients who presented with a week's history of fever and one day of shortness of breath (SOB). It is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2). COVID-19 has rapidly spread throughout the world, resulting in a global pandemic. Severe COVID-19 causes proinflammatory cytokine release and is associated with a high morbidity and mortality rate. Furthermore, obesity is an independent risk factor for developing severe COVID-19 complications with a high mortality. Stopping this cascade early in the disease's progression has resulted in a significant improvement in outcome. Tocilizumab in conjunction with systemic corticosteroids as part of the standard of care for halting pro-inflammatory cytokine cascades in early disease courses and prone positioning has been shown to improve respiratory parameters while also reducing the need for mechanical ventilation and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) stay (14 days as in our case).

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Evidence Hub reads this as a case report, done in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.

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