COVID-19 in the Critically Ill Patient

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant mortality in the United States with over 800,000 deaths in 2020 and 2021. The proportion of patients with COVID-19 who develop severe disease varies but is decreasing over time with growing population immunity and improved therapeutic options. Patients who are ≥65 represent the largest proportion of deaths from COVID-19. Additional risk factors include immunosuppression and chronic medical conditions—such as diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, and chronic heart disease. Vaccination dramatically reduces the risk of severe COVID-19.While critical illness from COVID-19 is mostly driven by respiratory disease, critical illness can manifest in a number of ways and affect several organ systems. The early phase of disease is primarily driven by viral replication while critical illness is characterized by hyper-inflammatory responses in the latte r phase. Therapeutic agents for COVID generally target the earlier stage of viral replication with antiviral agents or the later stage with immunomodulatory agents.
Source: Infectious Diseases Clinics of North America - Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Source Type: research