Quick Review on Correlation of COVID- 19 and cholesterol

Abstract

This pandemic not only adversely affected the physical health of individuals, but also brought forth significant changes in their lifestyle. India has a widely recognized health care delivery system but due to the lack of organized infrastructure, there is a growing sense of crisis, as the majority (66.53%) of its population reside in rural areas which are plagued with wide discrepancies related to the delivery of health care needs. Infectious diseases are usually associated with low HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations and sometimes with low LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations, while triglyceride levels are typically maintained or even increased. Although several mechanisms for the acute fall in cholesterol were suggested, it still remains unclear whether these changes in serum cholesterol are related to viral–host cell fusion and entry , thus, the timing of cholesterol lowering may be fundamental in the management of critically unwell patients, and these therapies might be better suited earlier in the disease course prior to critical care admission. Further investigation is needed on the role of cholesterol and use of statins amongst patients with COVID-19 infections. The safety and availability of statins makes it worthwhile to consider whether such host-response modulating drugs may promote a milder clinical infection if initiated early in the disease process. We also should keep in mind the possible occurrence of muscle symptoms during the course of COVID-19. While myalgias are easily attributable to SARS-CoV-2 infection in statin untreated patients, their differential diagnosis may be cumbersome in COVID-19 patients receiving statins. Further studies with human trials are required to fully understand the impact of altered lipid metabolism and cholesterol-modifying drugs on the clinical course of COVID-19 infection. Also, the timing of therapy in the course of the disease for an effective treatment needs to be investigated.