The incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) events in patients with COVID-19 treated with a standard thromboprophylaxis dose of anticoagulants remains high. We conducted a systematic review in order to explore the association between therapeutic-dose anticoagulation and its effect on mortality in patients with COVID-19. A systematic search was carried out using the electronic databases of PubMed, EuropePMC, and the Cochrane Central Database, using specific keywords. All articles that fulfilled the inclusion criteria were included in the qualitative analysis. There were 8 observational studies included in the final qualitative analysis. Quality assessment using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) showed a mean score of 7.5 ± 1.06, indicating moderate to high quality of the studies. Three retrospective cohort studies reported a reduction in the mortality rate, while 6 other studies showed no mortality benefits among patients with COVID-19 treated with therapeutic-dose anticoagulation. There was a slight tendency toward a reduction in the mortality rate among mechanically-ventilated patients with COVID-19 receiving therapeutic-dose anticoagulation. Bleeding events and thrombotic complications among patients receiving therapeutic-dose anticoagulation were reported in 3 studies. Although it is too soon to draw any conclusions, this systematic review draws attention to current evidence regarding the association between therapeutic-dose anticoagulation and its effect on mortality in patients with COVID-19.
Background
The evidence of using JAK inhibitors among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 is conflicting. The systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to address the efficacy of Janus Kinase (JAK) Inhibitors in reducing risk of mortality among hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
Methods
Several electronic databases, including PubMed, EuropePMC, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, with relevant keywords “COVID-19″ AND (“JAK inhibitor” OR “Ruxolitinib” OR “Tofacitinib” OR “Fedratinib” OR “Baricitinib”) AND (“Severe” OR “Mortality”), were used to perform a systematic literature search up to December 11, 2020. All studies pertinent to the predetermined eligibility criteria were included in the analysis. Our outcome of interest was all types of mortality, clinical improvement, and clinical deterioration. Dichotomous variables of our outcomes of interest were analyzed using Maentel-Haenszel formula to obtain odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) with random-effects modeling regardless of heterogeneity.
Results
Five studies with a total of 1190 patients and were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. The use of JAK inhibitors was associated with a reduced risk of mortality (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.28–0.93, P = 0.02; I
2
: 7.8%, P = 0.354) and clinical improvement (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.05–2.95, P = 0.032; I
2
: 26.4%, P = 0.253). The use of JAK inhibitors was not associated with a reduced risk of clinical deterioration (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.28–1.19, P = 0.136; I
2
: 24.1%, P = 0.267).
Conclusion
The use of JAK inhibitors was significantly associated with a reduced risk of mortality, and clinical improvement in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
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