First SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Patients with Severe Asthma Receiving Mepolizumab

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 is a zoonotic viral pathogen belonging to the same family as SARS-CoV. To the best of our knowledge, no case that was receiving mepolizumab for severe asthma and that developed COVID-19 has been reported to date in literature. In September 2020, a 61-year-old male patient undergoing monthly mepolizumab treatment for the last 6 months, in addition to his current asthma treatment, was admitted to our clinic with complaints of high fever (38-38.50C), loss of senses of taste for 3-4 days, as well as nonproductive cough and shortness of breath. Patchy ground-glass densities were observed in basal parts of lower lobes of both lungs, and the patient recorded a positive nasopharyngeal real-time PCR SARS-CoV-2 test. The patient was initiated on hydroxychloroquine, favipiravir and an anticoagulant, and home quarantine was recommended. The patient's complaints had relieved significantly by day 5 of the treatment. There is a need for larger and more extensive studies on the effect of medications used for the treatment of patients with severe asthma on COVID-19 infection, and due to its antiviral effects, the potential favorable contribution of mepolizumab to the treatment of COVID-19 infection in this patient group should be monitored.

Mepolizumab Alan Aðýr Astým Hastalarýnda Ýlk SARS-CoV-2 Enfeksiyonu

Þiddetli akut solunum sendromu koronavirüs (SARS-CoV) -2, SARS-CoV ailesiyle ayný aileye mensup, zoonotik bir viral patojendir. Bu zamana kadar, literatürde, aðýr astým sebebiyle mepolizumab tedavisi alan ve ayný zamanda COVID-19 geliþen bir olgu bildirilmemiþtir. Aðýr non-atopik astým tedavisi için son 6 aydýr, mevcut astým tedavilerinin yanýnda, mepolizumab tedavisi uygulanan 61 yaþýnda erkek hasta, Eylül 2020'de kliniðimize yüksek ateþ, son 3-4 günde geliþen koku ve tat duyusunda kayýp, kuru öksürük ve nefes darlýðý þikayetleri ile baþvurdu. Hastanýn akciðer tomografisinde her iki akciðer alt lob bazal kýsýmlarýnda yama þeklinde buzlu cam dansiteleri izlendi ve hastanýn SARS-CoV-2 için PCR sonucu pozitifti. Hastaya hidroksiklorokin, favipiravir ve antikoagülan tedavi baþlandý ve hasta evde karantinaya alýndý. Takiplerinde, tedavinin 5. gününde hastanýn þikayetleri önemli ölçüde rahatladý. Aðýr astým hastalarýnýn tedavisinde kullanýlan ilaçlarin COVID-19 enfeksiyonu üzerine etkilerini inceleyen geniþ ve kapsamlý çalýþmalara ihtiyaç olduðu aþikar olmakla beraber, anti-viral etkinliði sebebiyle, bu hasta grubunda, mepolizumabýn COVID-19 enfeksiyonu tedavisine olumlu katkýlarý göz ardý edilmemeli ve takip edilmelidir.