The Effect of Intravenous Tocilizumab Therapy on the Prognosis of Patients with COVID-19: A Case-Control Study

Shafieipour, Sara; Rezaei Zadeh Rukerd, Mohammad; Shamsizadeh Meymandi, Tayebe; Sinaei, Reza; Sarafzadeh, Farhad; Abu Saeedi, Hamid; Farokhnia, Mehrdad; Yousefi, Maysam; Ghasemzadeh, Iman; Saeedpor, Ali; Ahmadi, Bijan; Lashkarizadeh, Mohammad Mehdi; Pishgooie, Nafise; Nakhaie, Mohsen

doi:10.30699/ijmm.17.2.243

year 17, Issue 2 (March - April 2023) Iran J Med Microbiol 2023, 17(2): 243-250 | Back to browse issues page

‎ 10.30699/ijmm.17.2.243

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Shafieipour S, Rezaei Zadeh Rukerd M, Shamsizadeh Meymandi T, Sinaei R, Sarafzadeh F, Abu Saeedi H, et al . The Effect of Intravenous Tocilizumab Therapy on the Prognosis of Patients with COVID-19: A Case-Control Study. Iran J Med Microbiol 2023; 17 (2) :243-250
URL: http://ijmm.ir/article-1-1864-en.html

The Effect of Intravenous Tocilizumab Therapy on the Prognosis of Patients with COVID-19: A Case-Control Study

Sara Shafieipour¹

, Mohammad Rezaei Zadeh Rukerd¹

, Tayebe Shamsizadeh Meymandi¹

, Reza Sinaei²

, Farhad Sarafzadeh³

, Hamid Abu Saeedi³

, Mehrdad Farokhnia³

, Maysam Yousefi³

, Iman Ghasemzadeh³

, Ali Saeedpor¹

, Bijan Ahmadi¹

, Mohammad Mehdi Lashkarizadeh⁴

, Nafise Pishgooie¹

, Mohsen Nakhaie

⁵

1- Gastroenterology and Hepatology Research Center, Institute of Basic and Clinical Physiology Sciences, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
2- Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Institute of Basic and Clinical Physiology Sciences, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
3- Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Afzalipour Hospital, Kerman University of Medical School, Kerman, Iran
4- Colorectal Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
5- Physiology Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran , mohsennakhaee1367@gmail.com

Abstract: (2368 Views)

Background and Aim: Tocilizumab is a monoclonal antibody against the Interleukin-6 (IL6) receptor, but its effect on improving the clinical condition of coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) patients is debated. Accordingly, this study investigated the impact of Tocilizumab as an alternative treatment on the outcomes of COVID-19 patients.
Materials and Methods: In this retrospective case-control study, 300 COVID-19 patients in Afzalipour Hospital in Kerman, Iran, from November 2021 to January 2022 diagnosed by Real Time-PCR test with severe pneumonia were classified into two groups: 150 patients in the control group, treated with standard treatment, and 150 patients in the case group, that treated with intravenous Tocilizumab in addition to those treatments. Prognostic factors such as the hospitalization period, need for mechanical ventilation, and the patient's discharge condition were investigated.
Results: Effect of Tocilizumab on outcomes of COVID-19 patients, like demanding mechanical ventilation, and length of hospitalization in the case group, despite the presence of poor biological symptoms such as severe lymphopenia in admission, show a significant difference in comparison to the control group. Tocilizumab does not affect the patient's discharge condition and the mortality rate.
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that Tocilizumab, despite the lack of an apparent effect on the outcome of the COVID-19 disease (recovery or death), reduced length of hospitalization and the necessity for mechanical ventilation and can be used as an alternative therapy with other treatments.

Keywords: COVID-19, Prognosis, Interleukin-6, Iran, Tocilizumab

Full-Text [PDF 650 kb] (544 Downloads) | | Full-Text (HTML) (342 Views)

Type of Study: Original Research Article | Subject: Medical Virology
Received: 2022/08/28 | Accepted: 2022/12/21 | ePublished: 2023/03/30

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