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COVID‐19 pathogenesis, prognostic factors, and treatment strategy: Urgent recommendations
Author(s) -
Zhou Bin,
Kojima Shinsuke,
Kawamoto Atsuhiko,
Fukushima Masanori
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/jmv.26754
Subject(s) - hydroxychloroquine , medicine , pandemic , tocilizumab , disease , intensive care medicine , natural history , clinical trial , covid-19 , infectious disease (medical specialty)
The pandemic of novel coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) is not yet close to being over, more than 8 months after the first cases, but researchers are making great progress in fighting the disease. We have conducted a brief review of the geographic differences in the prevalence of COVID‐19, the updated pathological findings, prognostic factors, and treatments for disease prevention and improvement of prognosis. Although hydroxychloroquine and tocilizumab have been recommended by some researchers, many clinical trials have failed to confirm any beneficial effect of these and other drugs on COVID‐19, in terms of improved clinical status or reduced patient mortality. Currently, glucocorticoid is the only drug that reduces the mortality of COVID‐19 in a randomized controlled trial; however, it is still necessary to establish the optimal timing of administration. It is also urgent to set up an international or national cohort to address the risk factors associated with infection, the natural history of COVID‐19, including the disease type, surrogate markers for critically ill, long‐term sequelae, and reinfection after exposure, identify responders to glucocorticoid, and establish optimal treatment strategies for disease control.