STUDY OF LONG-TERM CLINICAL AND PATHOGENETIC EFFECTS OF FAVIPIRAVIR-BASED ANTI-VIRAL DRUG IN PATIENTS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME IN POST-COVID PERIOD

The article presents modern scientific data on long-term clinical and pathogenetic effects of the antiviral drug Areplivir (Favipiravir) in patients with metabolic syndrome in the post-COVID period.

The aim of the article is to study long-term cytokine-mediated (IL-6/sIL6r and LIF/sLIFr) pathogenetic effects of the favipiravir (Areplivir®) based drug on the incidence of complications in patients with metabolic syndrome in the post-COVID period.

Material and methods. With the approval of the local ethics committee at the N.P. Ogarevs Mordovia State University (Protocol No. 5 dated May 17, 2020) “An open prospective comparative study of the Areplivir® (Favipiravir) drug effectiveness in reducing the risk of complications in the post-COVID period in patients with metabolic syndrome” in the Republic of Mordovia was carried out.

The study included 190 metabolic syndrome patients who received the outpatient treatment for COVID-19 at Saransk polyclinics from February 2021 to March 2021. The case of COVID-19 was diagnosed in accordance with the current Temporary Guidelines for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the new coronavirus infection.

Results. The analysis of the metabolic syndrome patients’ follow-up within 1 year after undergoing COVID-19, revealed significant differences in the incidence of complications depending on the intake of the favipiravir based drug. The patients who were administrated with favipiravir at the early stage of infection, were characterized by lower serum levels of four members of the interleukin 6 family – IL-6 (IL-6, sIL6r and LIF, sLIFr) 10, 30 and 180 days after a clinical and laboratory recovery (p<0.001). The average statistical changes in the IL-6 /sIL6r system of the group administrated with favipiravir, were 90%, and they were higher than in the group not administrated with antiviral drugs. In the group of the patients administrated with favipiravir, there was a significant (p<0.001) positive dynamic of the sLIFr indicator, while in the comparison group, there was an increase in this indicator.

A protective effect of the early favipiravir use was characterized by a decrease in the frequency of cardiovascular complications, a 2.66-fold decrease in the risk of a stroke and the ACS in the post-COVID period.

Conclusion. The areplivir therapy in the acute period of coronavirus infection made it possible to timely reduce the viral load. It helps to correct the pro-inflammatory vector of the immune response at the post-COVID stage and, accordingly, reduces the risk of progression of atherosclerosis, transient cerebrovascular accidents with a cognitive decline, an endothelial dysfunction, and can be considered a secondary prevention of life-threatening cardiovascular complications.

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