Covid-19 Medications and Its Post Effects

Till date, over 163 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and over 3.3 million deaths from COVID-19 have been reported by the World Health Organization (WHO). However, there is still no specific treatment for the disease. Some empirical and supportive medications have been used thus far, including antivirals, antipyretics, antibiotics, and corticosteroids. Corticosteroids are anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive medications that are used to treat several diseases. These agents can produce undesirable and occasionally severe systemic adverse effects. Although the occurrence and severity of most adverse effects are related to the dose and duration of the corticosteroid therapy, avascular necrosis is not directly associated with this dose and duration, and may occur without osteoporosis. The basis of the use of such corticosteroid drugs in patients suffering from COVID-19 is the immunosuppressant nature of the drugs Corticosteroids are not recommended for routine use in COVID-19 patients by the WHO. But it is widely used by many people for treating this condition. Severe COVID-19 patients are at risk of avascular necrosis due to corticosteroid therapy Avascular necrosis is a progressive and incapacitating condition. The causes of avascular necrosis are categorized into traumatic and non-traumatic. The majority of non-traumatic cases are associated with the use of corticosteroids. Popular corticosteroid drugs and therapies that are being prescribed in patients suffering from COVID-19 are dexamethasone, methylprednisolone and or hydrocortisone with IV (intravenous) and/or oral administration. The use of such high doses of corticosteroids have shown very positive results and have been lifesaving in many cases.

Corticosteroids Induced Avascular Necrosis of Hip, a "Long Covid-19" Complication: Case Report

Since it first surfaced, the new Coronavirus has multiplied and mutated into different forms, leading to a significant impact on people's lives. COVID-19's long-term impact is not completely known: It can only be hypothesized based on the prior outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Avascular necrosis (AVN) is one of these consequences, which if left untreated can lead to catastrophic events and bone collapse. It's important to remember that individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 infection are still at risk of developing AVN. The pathological findings in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection are very similar to those seen in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) infection. We present cases of 27- and 69-years old men with no comorbidities admitted with complaints of bilateral hip pain post Covid treatment with corticosteroids and antivirals. The diagnosis was established based on history, physical examination, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The use of corticosteroids in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection has saved many lives, and it is still advised for moderate to severe cases on a short-term basis. The long-term use of corticosteroids is associated with numerous side effects. One of the most prevalent side effects of steroids is avascular necrosis of the femoral head, which is aggravated by the disease process. Early detection of avascular necrosis is very crucial in its management due to its high progression rate. Low therapeutic doses of corticosteroids with minimal effective duration remain the key to halting its occurrence.

Drug Repurposing Approaches: Existing Leads For Novel Threats And Drug Targets.

Drug Repurposing (DR) is an alternative to the traditional drug discovery process. It is cost and time effective, with high returns and low risk process that can tackle the increasing need for interventions for varied diseases and new outbreaks. Repurposing of old drugs for other diseases has gained a wider attention, as there have been several old drugs approved by FDA for new diseases. In the global emergency of COVID19 pandemic, this is one of the strategies implemented in repurposing of old anti-infective, anti-rheumatic and anti-thrombotic drugs. The goal of the current review is to elaborate the process of DR, its advantages, repurposed drugs for a plethora of disorders, and the evolution of related academic publications. Further, detailed are the computational approaches: literature mining and semantic inference, network-based drug repositioning, signature matching, retrospective clinical analysis, molecular docking and experimental phenotypic screening. We discuss the legal and economical potential barriers in DR, existent collaborative models and recommendations for overcoming these hurdles and leveraging the complete potential of DR in finding new indications.