Title:Clinical Review of COVID-19; Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Management
Volume: 27
Issue: 41
Author(s): Hussien Ahmed H. Abdelgawad*, Ahmed Sayed, Malak Munir, Mostafa H. Elberry, Ibrahim M. Sayed, Md. Amjad Kamal, Ahmed Negida, Mahmoud A. Ebada and Eshak I. Bahbah*
Affiliation:
- Clinical Research Management Program, Edson College, Arizona State University, Arizone,United States
- School of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Damietta,Egypt
Keywords:
COVID-19, coronavirus, SARS-COV2, pandemic, pathogenesis, diagnosis, management.
Abstract: Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2, or COVID-19 virus) is a worldwide
pandemic pathogen infecting 210 territories. It belongs to the family coronaviriadae and the order Nidovirales.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA enveloped virus that includes spike proteins
projecting from the envelope. The spike (S) protein interacts with the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2
(ACE2) receptor, which plays a role in the viral entry into the cell. The SARS-CoV-2 virus is zoonotic; the wet
animal market where live animals are sold is expected to be the source of infection. It is the third zoonotic coronavirus,
after SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. Transmission of the virus among humans is confirmed by direct
contact, droplet infection, fecal-oral, and blood transmission. The symptoms of COVID 19 include fever, dry
cough, headache, and difficulty in breathing. COVID 19 complications, including the development of acute respiratory
distress syndrome (ARDS), acute organ injury, secondary infection, and shock, are common in immunocompromised
and elderly patients. Up till now, there is no established treatment for COVID-19, and supportive
measures including mechanical ventilation and the use of nonspecific anti-viral therapies such as
Remdesevir, Liponavir, and chloroquine, are currently applied in severe cases. Also, until now, there is no approved
vaccine for COVID-19. In this review, we have provided an update on the SARS-COV2 virus, focusing
on the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentations, treatment options, and preventive measures associated
with COVID-19 cases.
