Oxidative Stress, Covid-19 and Nursing Care

ABSTRACT

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, previously 2019-nCoV) taxonomically belongs to the Coronaviridae family and genus Betacoronavirus that contain other several species are the cause of severe human diseases. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic registered in Wuhan, China for the first time in December 2019, and it has rapidly spread worldwide via close human relationships. While, the coronavirus pandemic was brought under control in China, the COVID-19 has quickly spread across the globe, causing important mortality and morbidity in the whole world. Currently, SARS-CoV-2 outbreak has led to more than 100 million people infected, more than 2 million virus-related deaths. Clinical experiences are show that symptoms of COVID-19 are highly heterogeneous, ranging from being asymptomatic and infection to severe pneumonia and causing death. COVID-19 patients often develop oxidative stress compensated by oxygen therapy. Oxidative stress makes a major contribution to pathogenesis of the severe COVID-19 infection. Nursing care is of great importance in preventing these destructive effects of oxidative stress. Nurses, who were at the forefront of the covid 19 pandemic process, the role of nurses, who consider human beings biologically, psychologically and socially, and who believe that human beings are critical and valuable, goes beyond just providing care to the sick individual.