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Case report
Cytokine storm and use of anakinra in a patient with COVID-19
  1. Priyanka Nemchand1,
  2. Hassan Tahir2,
  3. Rapti Mediwake3 and
  4. Jeffrey Lee1
  1. 1Rheumatology and General Medicine, Barnet Hospital, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, Barnet, UK
  2. 2Rheumatology and General Medicine, Barnet Hospital, London, UK
  3. 3Rheumatology, Barnet Hospital, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, Barnet, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Priyanka Nemchand; nishta1992{at}doctors.org.uk

Abstract

We present a case of a 50-year-old man with COVID-19 infection and acute respiratory distress syndrome as a result of a cytokine storm and use of anakinra, an interleukin 1-receptor antagonist that is normally used in the treatment of autoinflammatory disorders in adult patients. We saw a reduction in oxygen requirement and improvements in inflammatory markers and ferritin. Although we cannot determine its clinical efficacy from one case study, it may have a positive effect on the proinflammatory state that is associated with cytokine storm in COVID-19 infection.

  • infections
  • immunological products and vaccines
  • musculoskeletal and joint disorders
  • immunology
  • infectious diseases

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Footnotes

  • Twitter @Nishta92

  • Contributors PN gathered case report details from patient notes, researched topic and wrote up case report; HT continributed to clinical diagnosis, reviewed case report on multiple occasions, finalised final draft, researched topic; RM contributed to topic research and contributed to clinical diagnosis; JL redrafted case report and contributed to clinical diagnosis.

  • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Patient consent for publication Not required.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.