PULSE THERAPY WITH HIGH DOSES OF CORTICOSTEROIDS INCREASES SURVIVAL IN PATIENTS WITH INTERSTITIAL PNEUMONIA WITH COVID-19

Abstract

COVID-19 is a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, originally described in Wuhan, China in December 2019. It is postulated that 80% of the infected population experience no symptoms or mild symptoms, and 20% are hospitalized with 5% in need of intensive care, with a mortality rate of 50% in these cases [1–3]. The course of the disease is divided into three phases: the first phase is characterized by a viral infection of the respiratory tract; secondary pulmonary phase, characterized by pulmonary infection with a non-hypoxic stage (phase IIA) and turning into a hypoxic stage (phase IIB); and the third hyperinflammatory phase [4]. A clinical study has shown that, depending on the age of the patient, individual phases of COVID -19 may be more or less virulent: while tolerance to the first virulent phase decreases with age, the last hyper-inflammatory phase can be life -threatening . threatens younger patients .