Thromboprophylaxis for Coagulopathy Related to COVID-19 in Pediatrics: A Narrative Review.

In addition to harming the respiratory system, COVID-19 can affect multiple organs. Children may develop a specific complication of COVID-19 called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) which could influence the vascular system of children and cause multiple coagulopathies in the body. Information on the use of thromboprophylaxis in this condition was collected via the review of various articles. In general, different factors in immune system responses can trigger the initiation of thrombotic events. Studies have shown that starting anticoagulant prophylaxis, which contributes to decreased thrombotic events, is dependent on the patient's condition and D-dimer levels. However, further studies on pediatric populations are needed to establish the role of anticoagulants in children with this condition.

Current evidence on the use of anakinra in COVID-19.

Despite the progressing knowledge in COVID-19 management, remdesivir is the only agent that got approval to inhibit viral replication. However, there are limited data about effective immunomodulatory agents to prevent cytokine release in COVID-19. Cytokine release syndrome in COVID-19 resembles secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, in which interleukin-1 (IL-1) plays a key role. Anakinra is the first recombinant IL-1 receptor antagonist studied for off-label use in COVID-19 treatment. This study reviews the current clinical evidence on the role of interleukin-1 in COVID-19-related cytokine storm, therapeutic effects, significant clinical concerns, and pros and cons of anakinra administration in the management of COVID-19 patients. In this review, four items are shown to be important for achieving the optimal therapeutic effects of anakinra in COVID-19 patients. These items include duration of treatment ≥ 10 days, doses ≥ 100 mg, intravenous administration, and early initiation of therapy. Also, anakinra might be more beneficial in the early stages of the disease when higher levels of cytokines are yet to be observed, which could prevent progression to severe illness and mechanical ventilation. Further studies are required to address the SARS-CoV-2 induced cytokine release syndrome and the role of anakinra in identifying ideal treatment approaches for COVID-19 patients based on their clinical status.

Predictors of the prolonged recovery period in COVID-19 patients: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The clinical course of COVID-19 may vary significantly. The presence of comorbidities prolongs the recovery time. The recovery in patients with mild-to-moderate symptoms might take 10 days, while in those with a critical illness or immunocompromised status could take 15 days. Considering the lack of data about predictors that could affect the recovery time, we conducted this study to identify them. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was implemented in the COVID-19 clinic of a teaching and referral university hospital in Tehran. Patients with the highly suggestive symptoms who had computed tomography (CT) imaging results with typical findings of COVID-19 or positive results of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were enrolled in the study. Inpatient and outpatient COVID-19 participants were followed up by regular visits or phone calls, and the recovery period was recorded. RESULTS: A total of 478 patients were enrolled. The mean age of patients was 54.11 ± 5.65 years, and 44.2% were female. The median time to recovery was 13.5 days (IQR: 9). Although in the bivariate analysis, multiple factors, including hypertension, fever, diabetes mellitus, gender, and admission location, significantly contributed to prolonging the recovery period, in multivariate analysis, only dyspnea had a significant association with this variable (p = 0.02, the adjusted OR of 2.05; 95% CI 1.12-3.75). CONCLUSION: This study supports that dyspnea is a predictor of recovery time. It seems like optimal management of the comorbidities plays the most crucial role in recovery from COVID-19.