Abstract
Background and Objective: COVID-19 can cause severe acute respiratory distress syndrome. With deteriorating disease, most of the patients may require intensive care admission. This study was carried out to determine and evaluate the response of Tocilizumab with special reference to C-reactive protein (CRP) in critically ill patients presented to Farooq Hospital, West Wood Lahore. Methods: This retrospective study included the data of 55 critically ill COVID-19 patients (respiratory rate ≥30, SpO2<93%, oxygen requirement ≥5L/min, PaO2/FiO2 ≤300 mmHg) admitted in Corona unit of Farooq Hospital West Wood Lahore, who were being treated with Tocilizumab alongwith standard treatment protocol between April 27 and June 21, 2020. The data has been retrieved from hospital records after taking appropriate permission and consent. Demographic, clinical features and serum CRP were recorded for each of them, before and after administration of Tocilizumab. Data analysis was done by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 and expressed as frequency and percentages. Results: Out of 55 patients who were administered Tocilizumab, 72.7% survived whereas 27.3% died. There was higher median reduction of CRP levels in patients who survived (77.5 to 34.9 mg/L) as compared to those who died (65.5 to 45.3 mg/L). There was a statistically significant difference between CRP levels at the time of admission, 72 hours after Tocilizumab was administered (P<0.0001). Conclusion: Tocilizumab administration might be helpful in reducing the complications of cytokine storm in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia. © 2020, Biomedica. All Rights Reserved.
Highlights
COVID-19 can cause severe acute respiratory distress syndrome
The objective of the current study is to determine and evaluate the response of Tocilizumab with special reference to C- reactive protein (CRP) in critically ill patients with COVID19. This retrospective study included the data of 55 severe COVID-19 patients admitted in Corona unit of Farooq hospital West Wood Lahore, who were being treated with Tocilizumab along-with standard treatment protocol between April 27 and June 21, 2020
The pairwise comparisons showed that there was no significant difference between C-reactive protein (CRP) at the time of admission and Tocilizumab was administered (Z=1.477, P=0.14)
Summary
COVID-19 can cause severe acute respiratory distress syndrome. With deteriorating disease, most of the patients may require intensive care admission. The mortality rate in critical patients may exceed 60%.1. A number of studies have shown that a vast majority of asymptomatic patients may present with abnormal findings on imaging studies. The role of serum biomarkers in clinical outcome of COVID-19 disease remains indispensable. Among these serum biomarkers, C-reactive protein (CRP) has gained much attention because its levels in Masood A, Farooq O, Waris S, Khan M, Mumtaz A, Aslam M, et al (2020). Most of the patients may require intensive care admission. This study was carried out to determine and evaluate the response of Tocilizumab with special reference to C-reactive protein (CRP) in critically ill patients presented to Farooq Hospital, West Wood Lahore
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