International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases
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Int. J. Infect. Dis. · Oct 2020
Meta AnalysisDoes gender influence clinical expression and disease outcomes in COVID-19? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV2) was characterized at the end of 2019, and soon spread around the world, generating a pandemic. It has been suggested that men are more severely affected by the viral disease (COVID-19) than women. ⋯ Males are slightly more susceptible to SARS-CoV2 infection, present with a more severe disease, and have a worse prognosis. Further studies are warranted to unravel the biological mechanisms underlying these observations.
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Int. J. Infect. Dis. · Oct 2020
Case ReportsSevere immune thrombocytopenia in a critically ill COVID-19 patient.
The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 can cause a severe and even fatal respiratory illness named COVID-19. Apart from respiratory failure, COVID-19 may be associated with various autoimmune complications. We present a case of a critically ill patient with COVID-19 who developed severe immune thrombocytopenia that was successfully treated with a concomitant use of corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulins.
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Int. J. Infect. Dis. · Oct 2020
Evaluation of a novel antigen-based rapid detection test for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 in respiratory samples.
In the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the development and validation of rapid and easy-to-perform diagnostic methods are of high priority. This study was performed to evaluate a novel rapid antigen detection test (RDT) for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in respiratory samples. ⋯ The RDT evaluated in this study showed a high sensitivity and specificity in samples mainly obtained during the first week of symptoms and with high viral loads, despite the use of a non-validated sample material. The assay has the potential to become an important tool for early diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2, particularly in situations with limited access to molecular methods.