Introduction
A newly identified coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in China in December 2019
resulted in a significant number of pneumonia resulting in deaths. The
spread, as usual of these viruses, is rapidly spreading all over the
world with thousands of thousands of deaths. It is no coincidence that
the WHO has declared a state of pandemic. For these reasons, worldwide
attention is concentrated in the fight against this virus.
The genomic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 is 79.5% of the identity with
SARS-CoV. The evidence that caused Cov2 sars infection causes a
generalized hyper inflammatory state due to the release of cytokines
(”cytokine storm”).
In literature it has been shown that the final stage of infection is the
deadly one for humans.
In fact, it is not the viral phase that kills but the strong activation
of the immune system and the consequent release of cytokines. The
patient is thus supported and hospitalized in an intensive care unit
(ICU) hoping that he will overcome the ”famous storm” and remain alive.
World scientific societies, health professionals, doctors, researchers
and scholars are intensifying research to find a suitable cure to fight
the virus, both to prevent infection and to treat the patient before he
arrives at death. The vaccine will only be available in several months
and at present many drugs are being examined without great success. The
latest works give hope about colchicine and
hydroxychloroquine/chloroquine also used in combination in order to
avoid the release of cytokines with excellent chances of success.
The spontaneous reflection is the possibility of resorting to clinical
nutrition and amino acid supplementation both to prevent, support and
overcome the infectious phase with greater ease also in combination with
pharmacological treatments.
This idea is reinforced by the fact that clinical nutrition and amino
acids, in addition to adequately nourishing the patient bedridden in
ICU, can modulate the immune system to prevent infection and ensure that
the inflammatory state is kept under control with less release of
cytokines. Above all, amino acids seem fundamental as an additional
contribution in the patient suffering from covid and hospitalized in
ICU: on the one hand it mitigates the release of cytokines and on the
other it favors a prompt de-hospitalization in the healing phase for a
prompt turn-over in the pandemic phase and with consequent savings of
indirect and intangible costs (1-2).