Afsaneh Sadeghzadeh-Bazargan; Elham Behrangi; Azadeh Goodarzi
Abstract
Nowadays, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become a global health problem and, given the high mortality and transmission rate of this infection and the lack of approved or specific treatments for it so far, the exploitation of the potentials of existing drugs is of paramount importance, ...
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Nowadays, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become a global health problem and, given the high mortality and transmission rate of this infection and the lack of approved or specific treatments for it so far, the exploitation of the potentials of existing drugs is of paramount importance, hence, we aimed to investigate all possible COVID-19-related mechanisms of systemic retinoids. We systematically searched all related evidence in various data bases about the effect of retinoic acids on respiratory failure as the most important COVID-19-related complication and the other important potentials of this drug to affect COVID pathomechanism. Considering the various behaviors and presentations of this virus in different people, paying attention to the underlying diseases, physical conditions, genetics, and medications that cause these differences may be helpful in reducing the mortality and morbidity of the disease. In the field of dermatology, retinoids are a group of drugs that have controversial evidence regarding their effects when administered to patients with COVID-19. On one hand, these drugs offer immunomodulatory, immuneenhancing, antiviral, and antiangiogenesis activity, and can stimulate the differentiation and repair of epithelial cells. On the other hand, they can increase inflammation and cause the fragility of oral and nasal mucosae. When prescribe systemic retinoids, all of these aspects should be considered in all fields of the medicine and dermatology is not an exception.
Afsaneh Sadeghzadeh-Bazargan; Elham Behrangi; Azadeh Goodarzi
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is currently the most important global health problem. Due to its pandemic state and high mortality rate, it is critical to find useful interventions that reduce the mortality rate and boost patient survival. Since there is no specific antiviral treatment for the ...
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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is currently the most important global health problem. Due to its pandemic state and high mortality rate, it is critical to find useful interventions that reduce the mortality rate and boost patient survival. Since there is no specific antiviral treatment for the disease and given the growing amount of data about the role of the inflammatory response and cytokine storm in increased disease severity, we evaluated the mechanisms and possible positive effects of some specific anti-inflammatory drugs on the disease course of COVID-19 and examined some suggested treatments in the form of a scoping review article. It is important to select patients who may benefit from these treatments without inflicting any serious adverse effects. In our view, in approaching COVID-19 patients, we should consider the severity of the body’s inflammatory response. Mild cases may not require additional anti-inflammatory treatment or at least should be treated with safer immunoregulatory drugs such as chloroquines, whereas in severe cases with an overactive immune response evidenced by high serum inflammatory marker levels (TNF, ESR, CRP, WBC count, LDH, ferritin) and severe lung involvement in chest images, stronger immunoregulatory drugs (targeted immunotherapy) such as TNF and kinase inhibitors may be considered as adjunctive treatments in combination with antiviral drugs. However, further precisely designed studies are needed to confirm the therapeutic effect and safety of each of these anti-inflammatory drugs in COVID-19 patients and to determine their optimal dose, route of administration, and possible side effects.
Shivam Goyal; Smitha S Prabhu; M Mukhyaprana Prabhu
Abstract
At present, the whole world is going through the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which is taking its toll on healthcare workers (HCWs) as well as patients. In fact, HCWs are not only at risk of acquiring the disease but also suffer from various problems related to prolonged work in a stressful ...
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At present, the whole world is going through the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which is taking its toll on healthcare workers (HCWs) as well as patients. In fact, HCWs are not only at risk of acquiring the disease but also suffer from various problems related to prolonged work in a stressful situation with full personal protective equipment (PPE), which may lead to adverse cutaneous effects We used search engines to look for data on the dermatological problems in HCWs owing to frequent handwashing and to the use of PPE. The search terms used were ‘COVID-19’, ‘healthcare worker’, ‘dermatoses’, ‘personal protective equipment’, and ‘hand hygiene.’
Healthcare workers are susceptible to various dermatoses caused by multiple confluent factors including working for long hours in PPE, which is usually snug-fitting and includes headgear, masks, goggles, gloves, boot covers, and surgical gowns. They also are subjected to frequent hand cleansing, often more than 20 times a day. All this has led to various dermatoses caused by friction, pressure, humidity, irritation, as well as allergic responses to the equipment used in almost all those who work for prolonged periods in PPE, as shown by various case series and reports. Steps are being formulated to minimize these adverse cutaneous effects through appropriate measures that must be taken by HCWs. Healthcare workers are susceptible to various dermatoses caused by excessive hand hygiene practices and prolonged usage of PPE.
Proper counseling minimizes the morbidity by promoting protective measures.
