Tocilizumab in Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia and Concomitant Cytokine Release Syndrome

  • Tom van Kraaij Department of Pulmonology, Zuyderland Medical Center, Heerlen-Sittard, the Netherlands
  • Rémy Mostard Department of Pulmonology, Zuyderland Medical Center, Heerlen-Sittard, the Netherlands
  • Sofia Ramiro Department of Rheumatology, Zuyderland Medical Center, Heerlen-Sittard, the Netherlands; Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
  • Cesar Magro Checa Department of Rheumatology, Zuyderland Medical Center, Heerlen-Sittard, the Netherlands
  • Christel van Dongen Department of Rheumatology, Zuyderland Medical Center, Heerlen-Sittard, the Netherlands
  • Eric HJ van Haren Department of Pulmonology, Zuyderland Medical Center, Heerlen-Sittard, the Netherlands
  • Jacqueline Buijs Department of Internal Medicine, Zuyderland Medical Center, Heerlen-Sittard, the Netherlands
  • Robert Landewé Department of Rheumatology, Zuyderland Medical Center, Heerlen-Sittard, the Netherlands; Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12890/2020_001675

Keywords

COVID-19, cytokine release syndrome, tocilizumab

Abstract

Younger patients with COVID-19 may experience an exaggerated immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and develop cytokine release syndrome (CRS), which may be life threatening. There is no proven antiviral therapy for COVID-19 so far, but profound immunosuppression has recently been suggested as a treatment for COVID-19-associated CRS. We present a case of life-threatening CRS caused by COVID-19 infection with a favourable response to immunosuppressive therapy with tocilizumab (TCZ). The rapid clinical and biochemical improvement following TCZ administration suggests that treatment with immunotherapy can be life-saving in selected patients with COVID-19-induced CRS.

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    • Published: 2020-04-22

    Issue: Vol 7 No 5 (view)

    Section: Articles

    How to cite:
    1.
    van Kraaij T, Mostard R, Ramiro S, Magro Checa C, van Dongen C, van Haren EH, Buijs J, Landewé R. Tocilizumab in Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia and Concomitant Cytokine Release Syndrome. EJCRIM 2020;7 doi:10.12890/2020_001675.