COVID-19 and coagulopathy

The Coronavirus Pandemic and the Future: Virology, Epidemiology, Translational Toxicology and Therapeutics

Source: © Royal Society of Chemistry

Coagulopathy in COVID-19 is a common presentation in critically ill patients.

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The 2019 novel coronavirus has shown phenotypic variability in clinical presentation ranging from completely asymptomatic carriers to critically ill patients with high mortality. Coagulopathy in COVID-19 is a common presentation in critically ill patients. Increased levels of cytokines and chemokines play a major role in coagulopathy. Endothelial inflammation along with formation of microthrombi in major organs has been reported by most of the post mortem studies. Venous thrombosis is a far more common presentation than arterial thrombus even after giving anticoagulant prophylaxis. Major investigations include complete blood count, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, fibrinogen, and D-dimer level. Academic societies have given guidelines on management of patients with COVID-19. However, there is still deficiency in understanding the pathogenesis of this disease and therefore, high quality evidence-based studies need to be encouraged.