ABSTRACT
The are many cases of coincidence of herpes zoster in prei-COVID-19 infection or post-COVID-19 vaccination period and some expert or specialist experiences about increased prevalence of zona in the COVID-19 era that highlights the probability of SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccine associated immune dysregulation that reactivates latent varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection. In this comprehensive comparative review we have discussed the various aspects of COVID-19 pandemic-related zona as the peri-COVID or post-vaccine zoster which is considered as one of the most prevalent dermatological adverse reactions in such circumstances and should be diagnosed and managed in the best possible way. By a comparative approach there are many similarities and differences regarding herpes zoster in theses 2 certain conditions.
ABSTRACT
Background: Although coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease, it seems that liver abnormalities are also prevalent in the patients. Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate liver enzymes in COVID-19 patients. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on 111 COVID-19 patients admitted to Imam Reza Hospital in Kerman-shah during September-November 2020. The required data were extracted from the hospital files, and data analysis was performed in the Excel software and SPSS version 21. Results: The mean age of the patients was 60.87 ± 15.85 years. 50.5% of patients were female. Among the patients, 38.7% had hyper-tension, 19.8% had diabetes, and 7.2% had cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, 34.2% of the patients had abnormal aspartate aminotransferase (AST), 17.1% had abnormal alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and 100% had abnormal lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Conclusions: According to the results, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases were the most common comorbidities among the COVID-19 patients. AST, ALT, and LDH are important indicators of hepatic disorders, which were abnormal in these patients as well. Moreover, the patients aged less than 60 years, male patients, and those with renal disorders had a higher mean ALT.
ABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO). Several ways have been used to control and manage the COVID-19 pandemic. Among them, development of vaccines could be an important breakthrough against novel virus. It is important to note that the candidate vaccine is expected to work against infection and transmission. To date, many COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials have been registered worldwide. However, some vaccine candidates could meet adequate standards for effectiveness and safety. In the current review, we discussed the effectiveness, safety, target population, and hesitancy of COVID-19 vaccines.
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Various cutaneous manifestations have recently appeared within context of 2019 novel coronavirus diseases (COVID-19). Currently, outbreaks of psoriasis were reported during COVID-19. We reported a case of a 32-year-old woman with COVID-19 who presented with pustular psoriasis. She was treated with oral prednisolone, hydroxyzine and topical clobetasol. The two-week follow-up revealed that her lesions were desquamating and that she was in a favorable situation. The current report will highlight specific skin manifestations of COVID-19, allowing clinicians to further confirm our suspicions.
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There are some reports about the neurological manifestations and complications of COVID-19. We present neurological manifestations in 6 hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The patients presented with common symptoms of COVID-19 along with common findings from high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scan such as ground-glass opacities (GGOs). Though, RT-PCR testing of SARS-CoV-2 was negative for all 6 cases. In the current report, acute cerebrovascular diseases affected older patients, while dementia, seizure and encephalopathy affected younger ones. Three of the 6 patients had proven strokes based on their neuroimaging. Four of the 6 patients had high d-dimer levels. Two of the cases experienced convulsion. The third patient presented with typical symptoms and signs of neuroleptic malignant syndrome. The sixth case was interesting for transient dementia. Unfortunately, four out of six patients died. The recent case series report the association between neurological involvements and COVID-19 infection. Clinicians should be alert of the neurologic symptoms in the setting of COVID-19, which might even be the first presentations of this infection.
ABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has spread rapidly across the world and is introduced as a global health crisis. COVID-19 is one of the threatening pandemics in history involving many organs, including the cardiovascular system. The cardiovascular involvements, such as myocardial injury, myocarditis, acute myocardial infarction, dysrhythmias, and heart failure, have been reported in the COVID-19 patients. Currently, there is no specific antiviral treatment for COVID-19;though, some therapies such as interferon, remdesivir, ribavirin, favipiravir, and tocilizumab are being used. The medications used to treat COVID-19 may have cardiovascular adverse events or interact with some cardiovascular drugs. The most concerning conditions caused by these medications are QTc prolongation and torsades de pointes (TdP), which might cause abrupt death. Here, we describe cardiac adverse effects and potential interactions of COVID-19 medications with cardiovascular agents.
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Objectives: The first case of 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was reported in Iran in February 2020. Here, we report the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with COVID-19 and factors associated with mortality in these patients. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted from February 22, 2020, to March 24, 2020, in Golestan Hospital in Kerman-shah, Iran. Demographic data including underlying diseases and clinical data including the presenting symptoms, chest computed tomography (CT) scan, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results, and outcomes were extracted from electronic medical records. Simple and multiple logistic regression methods were used to explore the factors associated with mor-tality. Results: Of 245 patients admitted with COVID-19, 155 (63.30%) were male. The mean age of the subjects was 54.68 ± 19.21. Forty-five (18.48%) patients had underlying diseases. Common symptoms were dyspnea (n = 137;55.9%), cough (n = 93;38.0%), and fever (n = 78;31.8%). All patients had pneumonia with abnormal findings on chest CT scan (100%), and RT-PCR test results were positive in 87 (35.50%) patients. Of the total admitted cases, 38 (15.5%) patients died during hospitalization. An old age (OR = 1.09;95% CI: 1.02 to 1.06), history of heart disease (OR = 5.07;95% CI: 1.46 to 17.58), hypertension (OR = 5.82;95% CI: 1.13 to 30.04), smoking (OR = 11.44;95% CI: 1.01 to 29.53), history of at least one underlying disease (OR = 3.31;95%CI: 1.54 to 7.09), and symptoms of decreased consciousness at the time of admission (OR = 24.23;95% CI: 2.62 to 223.39) were associated with mortality. Also, the symptoms of cough (OR = 0.383;95% CI: 0.17 to 0.88) and fever (OR = 0.278;95% CI: 0.10 to 0.74) had a negative association with mortality. Conclusions: In the current study, factors including old age, smoking, symptoms of decreased consciousness, and underlying diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, and history of at least one underlying disease were associated with mortality. Factors associated with mortality should be considered so that we can better manage patients with COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
Due to the high mortality rate of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the lack of specific treatment for the disease, it is essential to find new therapies. The present case report aimed to assess the efficiency of convalescent plasma in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. We reported a severe case of COVID-19 with multi-organ failure, who had reduced oxygen saturation after several courses of antiviral therapy. Moreover, computed tomography (CT) scan results showed patchy lesions in the base of lungs. Therapeutic measures, including endotracheal intubation and plasmapheresis with convalescent plasma, were performed for the patient;subsequently, good responses to the treatments were observed. Our findings demonstrate that convalescent plasma improves pulmonary lesions and the patient's clinical status.