Lack of Difference in Tocilizumab Efficacy in the Treatment of Severe COVID-19 Caused by Different SARS-CoV-2 Variants.
Oleksandr Valentynovych OliynykWojciech BargYanina OliynykSerhij DubrovVitaliy GurianovMarta RoratPublished in: Journal of personalized medicine (2022)
Tocilizumab (TOC) is presumed to be an effective and safe treatment for severe COVID-19, but its usefulness has not been yet investigated for different SARS-CoV-2 variants. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of TOC on mortality in patients with severe COVID-19 caused by Delta and non-Delta SARS-CoV-2 variants. In a retrospective analysis, we compared the medical records of 78 and 224 patients with severe COVID-19 due to Delta and non-Delta variants, respectively. A total of 30 patients with Delta and 84 with non-Delta variants were treated with TOC in addition to standard therapy. There were no statistically significant differences in mortality rate when comparing Delta vs. non-Delta patients nor when comparing those treated with TOC vs. not treated with TOC in both variants. Using a logistic regression model, in the examined population as a whole, we found an increased ( p < 0.05) risk of death as leukocyte and erythrocyte counts decreased and as procalcitonin increased. Increased procalcitonin was significant for mortality in the Delta group, while decreased IL-6, leukocytes, and platelets and increased fibrinogen and procalcitonin were significant in the non-Delta group. Tocilizumab efficacy in severe COVID-19 does not differ between Delta or non-Delta virus variants. The Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 does not increase mortality when compared to other virus strains.
Keyphrases
- sars cov
- coronavirus disease
- copy number
- respiratory syndrome coronavirus
- rheumatoid arthritis
- newly diagnosed
- healthcare
- cardiovascular events
- stem cells
- type diabetes
- end stage renal disease
- chronic kidney disease
- cardiovascular disease
- coronary artery disease
- juvenile idiopathic arthritis
- dna methylation
- bone marrow
- peritoneal dialysis
- red blood cell
- disease activity