Introduction. The article presents the problems of the use of glucocorticosteroids in the treatment of patients with coronavirus– associated pneumonia (COVID-19) without hypoxemia. The experience of the preemptive use of low doses of glucocorticosteroids in the treatment of such patients in a hospital is described. Simplification of a unified scheme of pathogenetic therapy with glucocorticosteroids in the above patients is urgent. The article highlights the effectiveness of the early use of low doses of glucocorticosteroids in the treatment of a specific cohort of patients with COVID-19.Objective. To assess the clinical efficacy and safety of early use of small doses of methylprednisolone in the comprehensive therapy of patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 pneumonia to prevent the development of complications and improve the outcomes of the disease.Materials and methods. The study included 40 hospitalized patients from 37 to 68 years (average age 52. years) with a diagnosis of moderate to severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Patients were randomized into two groups: the main group (n = 20) and the control group (n = 20). The main group additionally received methylprednisolone: 4 mg tablets, 7 tablets per day, divided into 2 doses (4 tablets in the morning and 3 tablets at lunchtime). The effectiveness of the therapy was evaluated based on the primary combined endpoint of the study, which included progression of the disease to an extremely severe form or the occurrence of pulmonary and extrapulmonary complications that required transfer to the intensive care unit, or death of the patient during the followup period. The secondary combined endpoint of the study was resolution of clinical symptoms of the disease or achievement of reference values of laboratory and instrumental indicators.Results. No lethal outcomes were observed in the compared groups, there were no cases of development of an extremely severe course, complications requiring transfer to the intensive care unit in the main group.Conclusion. Early use of small doses methylprednisolone of in comprehensive therapy of patients with moderate and severe COVID-19 pneumonia reduces the incidence of life-threatening complications and improves the outcomes of the disease.
The relevance of pneumonia remains at the forefront and has recently attracted the attention of not only the entire medical community, but also all political and economic institutions of most countries of the planet. This nosology continues to be in the center of attention, identifying one of the key causes in the frequency of mortality of the population. The presented article accumulates the most up-to-date theses regarding viral pneumonia on the basis of a review of a large number of scientific literature, domestic and foreign studies. Although the term “viral pneumonia” has been used in medical practice for more than a century, nevertheless, there is no final diagnostic algorithm and an established final concept. The article reflects special historical medical and philosophical aspects in the study of pneumonia from the time of Hippocrates to the present. The epidemiological features, etiology, and also the terminological base of viral pneumonia are updated, thereby the concept of viral pneumonia in medical categories is fixed. A promising classification of viral pneumonia according to ICD-XI is presented. Attention is drawn to the autopsy morphological characteristics of the bronchopulmonary organ complex in viral pneumonia, post-mortem descriptions are given with links to authoritative research sources. The main modern diagnostic capabilities of the scientific medical community in the detection of pneumonia are described, the issues of the formation of new diagnostic algorithms are reflected. The clinical picture of viral pneumonia is described in detail, the clinical concept of the phase course of the disease based on pathomorphological data is presented for the first time. The main modern groups of drugs for etiotropic and pathogenetic treatment of the disease are considered. The conclusion reflects the main problematic postulates and prospects for further study of the disease.
Introduction. Morbidity and mortality of COVID-19 actualizes the identification of groups with the greatest risk of primary and re-infection, persons in need of priority vaccination or revaccination.Objective. To study the factors affecting the content of IgG antibodies to the S-protein SARS-CoV-2 in convalescents after suffering COVID-19 for 6 months.Materials and methods. The study of the Military Medical Academy and the Helix Laboratory Service was carried out from 06/01/2020 to 08/01/2021 on the basis of the Military Medical Academy and the Helix centers. The study included 1421 people – both sexes from 18 to 70 years old. 1205 with asymptomatic and mild disease (outpatient group). 216 with moderate or severe form (inpatient group). The outpatient group underwent a quantitative determination of IgG to the spike (S) protein SARS-CoV-2 by immunochemiluminescence analysis at 30, 45, 60, 90, 180 days from diagnosis. The diagnosis was verified by a positive RT-PCR result. The inpatient group underwent an identical study on the 1st, 14th, 45th, 60th, 90th and 180th days from the moment of admission to the hospital. The diagnosis was verified in the same way.Results. In convalescents, post-infectious immunity is formed from 30 days. Older age was associated with a more pronounced production of IgG to the S-protein SARS-CoV-2, mainly in older women. Moderate and severe course is characterized by higher concentrations of IgG to the SARS-CoV-2 S protein. A high level of IgG to the S-protein SARS-CoV-2 persists for up to 90 days, with a subsequent decrease by 180 days. Body weight, days of oxygen therapy, hyperthermia, the volume of lung tissue lesions and the level of C-reactive protein correlate with the concentration of IgG to the S-protein SARS-CoV-2. The use of glucocorticoids (GCS) is characterized by the presence of a higher concentration of IgG to the S-protein SARS-CoV-2 up to 6 months. There is a dose-dependent effect of using GCS.Conclusion. The formation and maintenance of the level of neutralizing antibodies for 6 months depends on the severity of the disease, the gender and age of the patients, and the fact of using GCS. This must be taken into account when carrying out therapeutic and preventive measures, planning vaccination.
The features of clinical and laboratory diagnostics of hantavirus infection at the prehospital stage in the regions of the Northwestern Federal District is considered. The analysis of the terms of patients treatment from the moment of the appearance of the first symptoms of the disease was carried out. It was found that more than half of the patients sought a medical help during the height of the disease. The structure of hospitalizations of the patients with a hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome who were admitted to inpatient treatment was studied; most patients were hospitalized by the ambulance team. The data of our own research are presented, indicating the predominance of the nonspecific symptoms in the onset of the disease. The overwhelming majority of the patients in the initial period of the disease had fever, severe headache, myalgia. Hemorrhagic syndrome was detected in a minimal number of the patients. The dynamics of the clinical picture of a hemorrhagic fever with the renal syndrome in patients admitted to hospitals in St. Petersburg was analyzed. Diversity and a rapid change of the symptoms and syndromes in dynamics were noted. In the structure of diagnoses of the direction, diseases of the respiratory system prevailed. A smaller proportion of a preliminary diagnoses were diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, pathology of the kidneys and urinary tract, diseases of the central nervous system, and only one patient was diagnosed with the hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. The laboratory parameters of the early period of the disease in patients were assessed. The most frequent and characteristic changes in the blood and urine parameters were revealed. Signs of hemoconcentration and thrombocytopenia were noted in almost half of the patients in the initial period of the disease. In a small part of outpatients, impaired renal nitrogen excretory function was found; the intensity of azotemia in the initial period of the diseases was low. Urine changes in the initial period were characterized by the moderate proteinuria, leukocyturia, erythrocyturia, cylindruria. The need for a thorough comparison of a clinical, laboratory, epidemiological data for a timely and correct diagnosis is noted.
The problem of community-acquired pneumonia is one of the most relevant for military medicine. The relevance of community-acquired pneumonia is determined by the high incidence of conscription by military personnel, the severity of the clinical course, the presence of severe complications, the duration of labor losses, the tendency to epidemic spread, and the risk of deaths. It is necessary to improve laboratory research methods with the introduction of express methods for verifying bacterial and viral agents, determining the clinical features of the viral-bacterial pneumonia, and justifying the inclusion of antiviral agents in the etiotropic treatment regimen. An expanded complex of microbiological diagnosis of pneumonia has been developed, combining classical bacteriological methods with express methods (polymerase chain reaction, enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay, immunochromatography), which made it possible to determine atypical pathogens and viruses in addition to agents of a bacterial nature. Using these techniques, the modern etiological structure of community-acquired pneumonia in the military has been established, the prevalence of viral-bacterial pneumonia has been revealed. Among viruses, the leadership of adenovirus infection has been established, clinical and laboratory features of the disease are shown depending on the pathogens identified, the feasibility of additional prescribing of antiviral agents in addition to antibiotics in the treatment of viral-bacterial pneumonia is justified.
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