COVID-19: PERVASIVENESS OF COMORBIDITIES WITH EMPHASIS ON CANCER, PATHOGENESIS AND PALLIATIVE CARE MEASURES

Abstract

In retrospection and review of the available literature, cancer patients are regarded as highly susceptible to the incidence of the ongoing ‘COVID-19’ pandemic. Other comorbidities including hypertension, diabetes, kidney problems, high cholesterol are found to be having severe effects on COVID-19 related mortality. Reports associating these diseases with COVID-19 must be carefully elucidated not just because these comorbidities induce severity in COVID-19 patients but also as several other factors increase the risk of occurrence of this pandemic. From vigorous screening to advance researches regarding this association as well as the still elusive mechanism of its pathogenesis, from clinical management to implementation of national and international guidelines, from adopting a dynamic approach to tackle the co-infection to having resourceful hospitals and medical care facilities, a structured and methodical proposition involved in the development of therapeutic strategies promise a better approach to target COVID-19.