ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Acute exacerbation of interstitial lung disease (AE-ILD) is a severe complication with a poor prognosis. No clinical trials have supported the use of rituximab in AE-ILD associated with connective tissue disease. METHODS: We present a series of four cases in which administration of rituximab was associated with appropriate clinical, radiological and functional progress. RESULTS: The four patients were alive 30 days after discharge following their exacerbation. CONCLUSIONS: Given the speed of action, safety and efficacy profile observed for rituximab, we believe that this agent should be further investigated in clinical trials so that it could be included in the daily clinical management of this severe condition.
Subject(s)
Connective Tissue Diseases , Lung Diseases, Interstitial , Humans , Rituximab/therapeutic use , Connective Tissue Diseases/complications , Connective Tissue Diseases/diagnosis , Connective Tissue Diseases/drug therapy , Lung Diseases, Interstitial/complications , Lung Diseases, Interstitial/diagnosis , Lung Diseases, Interstitial/drug therapy , Patient DischargeABSTRACT
No disponible
Subject(s)
Humans , Health Services Research , Quality of Health Care , Heart Failure/therapyABSTRACT
Patients with chronic heart failure (HF) are among the most vulnerable populations in the COVID era. HF patients infected with COVID-19 are at a significant risk of severe illness and death. They usually present with shortness of breath and radiologic signs of an acute decompensation, which can mask the manifestations of COVID-19. Delay in the diagnosis increases the risk of individual poor outcomes and jeopardizes healthcare workers if protective and isolation measures are not established promptly. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing health-care systems to modify the delivery of care to patients. Outpatient services are being done virtually, and elective procedures postponed. These may have an impact on the quality of life and survival of chronic HF patients. We present two cases of patients with the previous history of HF who developed an acute exacerbation secondary to COVID-19 infection. In this review, we focused on the main challenges physicians face when dealing with COVID-19 in chronic HF patients at the individual and system levels.
