Does Heparin Have an Essential Role in the Treatment of the Covid-19 Pandemic? A Review

Abstract

Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It was first reported in December 2019. The plasma markers of coagulation, like D-dimers and elevated prothrombin time (PT) are higher in patients with COVID-19. The administration of anticoagulant is beneficial in those patients. Heparins have many therapeutic functions that are important for the controlling of COVID-19-associated clinical manifestations like, neutralization of inflammatory mediators and neutralization of extracellular cytotoxic histones. Many observational studies in different countries have been done and large number of clinical trials have been designed and registered to evaluate efficacy and safety of heparin for patients with COVID-19. The aim of this narrative review is to summarize all available data from previously published studies concerning the use of heparin in treatment of the COVID-19 pandemic.