title: How to approach and treat viral infections in ICU patients.
abstract: Patients with severe viral infections are often hospitalized in intensive care units (ICUs) and recent studies underline the frequency of viral detection in ICU patients. Viral infections in the ICU often involve the respiratory or the central nervous system and can cause significant morbidity and mortality especially in immunocompromised patients. The mainstay of therapy of viral infections is supportive care and antiviral therapy when available. Increased understanding of the molecular mechanisms of viral infection has provided great potential for the discovery of new antiviral agents that target viral proteins or host proteins that regulate immunity and are involved in the viral life cycle. These novel treatments need to be further validated in animal and human randomized controlled studies.
authors.forename: Theodoros
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kelesidis
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mastoris
authors.forename: Aliki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Metsini
authors.affiliation: 4th Department of Internal Medicine, Attikon University Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, 1 Rimini Street, GR-12462 Haidari, Athens, Greece. tsiodras@med.uoa.gr.
authors.forename: Sotirios
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsiodras
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003422:Critical Care; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents