Anakinra for the Treatment of COVID-19-Associated Pericarditis: A Case Report

Since its recognition in December 2019 as a cause of potentially severe pneumonia, SARS-CoV-2 infection has rapidly spread globally, causing a pandemic. Although it is an infectious disease, several distinct manifestations have been described in the setting of the new coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 resulting from the hyperimmune response caused by the virus [1]. The heart is frequently involved in COVID-19 and is associated with severe outcomes. Numerous distinct cardiac complications have been reported in COVID-19 patients, including arrhythmia, myocarditis, and coronary thrombosis [2]. Pericarditis is rarely reported in COVID-19 patients, and no reports are available on its treatment and outcome [3]. Herein, we describe the case of a patient affected by COVID-19 complicated by pericarditis successfully treated with the IL-1R antagonist anakinra.