Impact of tocilizumab on clinical outcomes in severe covid-19 patients and risk of secondary infection: A case-control study

Objective: This study aimed to identify the effect of tocilizumab (TCZ) on clinical outcomes in severe COVID-19 patients. Material and Methods: We included hospitalized COVID-19 patients with an initial WHO scale ≥4. We matched the patients with baseline characteristics by using propensity scores. Then, we selected patients with C-reactive protein levels above 30 and showing an upward trend. We assessed the effect of TCZ in patients on clinical outcomes by using Mann – Whitney U and Chi-square tests. Results: Of 200 patients who had an initial WHO scale ≥ 4, 42 (21%) were given TCZ in addition to standard of care (SOC). Twentyfive patients (50%) needed mechanical ventilation (MV) in the TCZ group, compared with 35 (21%) of 158 patients with SOC (p