Corona Virus Treatment

First of all before we discuss the treatment of the corona virus I should clarify one comment. If you have any of the major clinical signs of the virus such as a cough, shortness of breath, fever, headaches, self isolate and quarantine for 14 days immediately and contact your medical care provider for advice. During quarantine, monitor your symptoms to see if they are staying the same or getting worse. Monitoring these signs will help your health care provider to advice you if you should be treated more aggressively in a hospital setting.

Most of the treatment we have now in the hospitals are supportive treatment with oxygen, fluids, plasma and other supportive care measures. We know that Covid-19 leads to Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and discussed the clinical signs associated with that.  If a patient presented with fever, it can potentially lead to dehydration. So judicious intravenous fluid therapy will be done. 

Another treatment plan should include a convalescent plasma rich in antibodies typically from recovered individuals and screened for other diseases before use. 

The second goal is to reduce the fever, typically done by using Tylenol safely. The fluid will help to lower the fever too.  Some drugs has been used to decrease the severity of the acute and systemic inflammatory response of the cytokines. Other antiviral has been tried and used too even before having enough safety trials conducted.  The trials on all these drugs are being done now in different countries and sittings.

Remdesiver an antiviral drug that was used to treat Ebola virus patients. Remdesiver inhibits the RNA dependant RNA polymerase enzyme preventing the virus from replicating itself into millions more particles of the virus itself. 

Another drug called Hydroxychlorquine has been used to block the virus entry into the endosome of type 11 pneumocytes and start the production of its own proteins. This treatment protocol usually combined with another antivirus called ritonavir which is a proteinase inhibtor, blocks the virus from making polyproteins needed for the the structure of the virus.  So combining these 3 drugs will attack the 3 different ways the virus can damage the human body, entering the cells and the production of the different proteins needed. 

Another drug that has been used on Covid 19 patients is Tocilizumab which blocks Interleukin-6 produced by the macrophages to prevent further leakiness in the endothelial membranes of the blood vessels surrounding the pneumocytes decreasing the edema. By blocking the Interleukin-6 we block the invite of more neutrophils which can release reactive oxygen species and proteases which can destroy the lung structure causing more hypoxia and hypoxaemia. 

Based on oxygen saturation and how much lung destruction occurred, a ventilator may be needed to push oxygen into the lungs and help oxygenate the body properly decreasing hypo perfusion, systemic organ failure and sepsis. 

Lastly prevetively Vitamin D3 has been associated with decrease respiratory virus infection. However, all the previous studies on vitam D 3 antiviral activity was done of the flu virus. 

A healthy microbiome can prevent infections in general and build a strong immune system. This includes the healthy foods that includes probiotics, prebiotics and Omega 3 fatty acids. We can achieve that being eating less sugar, wheat and processed carbohydrate and increase eating healthy fats, vegetables and Fruits

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