Tacrolimus Treatment for Post-COVID-19 Interstitial Lung Disease.

Abstract

With expansion of the COVID-19 pandemic, reports of post-COVID-19 interstitial lung disease (ILD) have been emerging. However, there are few reports regarding treatment. Some reports indicate that corticosteroids are effective for post-COVID-19 ILD, but the use of long-term corticosteroid carries risks of side effects. We administered tacrolimus to an elderly patient with post-COVID-19 ILD who suffered a respiratory failure relapse during steroid tapering. The respiratory status improved with tacrolimus in the post-acute phase, but pulmonary fibrosis progressed in the late phase. Tacrolimus may be effective for treating post-COVID-19 ILD in the post-acute phase, but it does not halt progression of pulmonary fibrosis.

• Authors: Migiwa Ohgushi, Naruhiko Ogo, Toyoshi Yanagihara, Yukiko Harada, Kosuke Sumida, Ayaka Egashira, Tatsuma Asoh, Takashige Maeyama, Seiji Yoshizawa
• Journal: Internal medicine (Tokyo, Japan) (Intern Med) Vol. 61 Issue 4 Pg. 585-589 (Feb 15 2022) ISSN: 1349-7235 [Electronic] Japan
• PMID: 34866097 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Tacrolimus

Topics

• Aged
• COVID-19
• Humans
• Lung
• Lung Diseases, Interstitial (epidemiology)
• Pandemics
• SARS-CoV-2
• Tacrolimus (therapeutic use)