ABSTRACT
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic is responsible for generating a global effort to discover urgent therapeutic solutions to limit the human damage caused by COVID-19. In the period of April to June 2020, 105 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 met the conditions for inclusion in the present study. They were treated with antiviral therapy according to local guidelines: D group (53 cases), treated with darunavir/ritonavir (DRV/r); and K group (52 cases), treated with lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r). Patients from the K group required 7.5 days of hospitalization less compared to those from the D group (P<0.001). The blood oxygen saturation values recorded in the groups were statistically different [K group (94.02±3.12%) vs. D group (92.13±4.24%), P=0.010]. The percentage of patients with unsatisfactory clinical evolution were non-significantly higher in the D group compared with the K group [20 (37.74%) vs. 12 (23.08%), P=0.157]. We did not note statistically significant differences between the two groups tracked considering the values for the Brescia-COVID Respiratory Severity Scale (BCRSS) of the patients with unsatisfactory clinical evolution, nor of the chest CT' evolution after 10 days of therapy. We did not register significant adverse effects after antiviral therapy in the two groups. Antiviral therapy with LPV/r had some favorable results compared to DRV/r in patients with COVID-19. Both therapies were well tolerated.
ABSTRACT
The new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, first identified in humans in Wuhan Province, China, in December 2019, has spread rapidly throughout the world, causing World Health Organization (WHO) to declare it a pandemic infection. This pathogenic agent belongs to the genus beta-coronavirus, alongside SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome). The large number of infected patients is mainly due to the modality of transmission, through respiratory droplets. The most common manifestation of the disease/infection COVID-19 is pneumonia, as there are not any specific clinical manifestations that differentiate this disease from other respiratory viral infections. The confirmation of COVID-19 is done by RT-PCR (Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction) of respiratory specimens. In most cases, the damage induced by this infection is not severe, and death occurs most frequently among older patients or with significant comorbidities. To control this pandemic infection, measures such as self-isolation at home or quarantine are recommended. Given both the large number of infected patients, as well as the large number of deaths, it is imperative to conduct studies that identify effective therapeutic measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Romanian Journal of Medical Practice is the property of Empire Publishing House and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)