COVID-19 pandemic has spread all over the world, and hospitalization of the patients with COVİD-19 Pneumonia has become a great burden to the Intensive Care Units. Unfortunately there is still no curative method for the disease yet. Intensive Care Units provide general care for the patients; including oxygen therapy, maintenance of the organ systems (e.g., cardiovascular, renal), nutrition, antibiotic therapy for secondary infections, and etc. One of the major problems in COVID-19 is macrophage activation syndrome, also known as cytokine storm. It stems from exaggerated inflammatory response, which causes increased cytokine release and results in clinical deterioration of the patients. Many drugs have been used to prevent this exaggerated inflammation, like corticosteroids, interleukin (IL) receptor blockers, plasma exchange, etc. In this study our aim is to investigate the effectiveness of high dose corticosteroid (methylprednisolone 250 mg for 3 days) and an IL-6 receptor antagonist (tocilizumab) in the treatment of the cytokine storm of the COVID-19 patients.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Patients with the clinical and laboratory diagnosis of cytokine storm will receive methylprednisolone 250 mg for 3 days.
Patients with the clinical and laboratory diagnosis of cytokine storm will receive tocilizumab 400-800 mg for one time.
Clinical condition
Arterial oxygen partial pressure of the patient will be observed.
Time frame: Next 7 days of the intervention.
Blood analysis
Acute phase reactants (C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, ferritin, fibrinogen), will be investigated.
Time frame: Next 7 days of the intervention.
Hospital stay
Hospital stay period of the patients will be observed.
Time frame: Until the hospital discharge.
Mortality
Mortality of the patients will be observed.
Time frame: Not relevant
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