NHLBI Information & Resources on COVID-19

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Director's Blog

November 17, 2020
Can Autoimmune Antibodies Explain Blood Clots in COVID-19?
NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins

For people with severe COVID-19, one of the most troubling complications is abnormal blood clotting that puts them at risk of having a debilitating stroke or heart attack. A new study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute suggests that SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, doesn’t act alone in causing blood clots. The virus seems to unleash mysterious antibodies that mistakenly attack the body’s own cells to cause clots.

Read more

Understanding COVID-19

NHLBI's Research Strategy

COVID-19 affects all of us, with the heaviest toll on those with preexisting heart, lung, and blood conditions and populations who are vulnerable to these conditions. Our research strategy aims to understand and address risk factors for the disease, develop prevention and treatment strategies, and find ways to hasten and enhance recovery.

Read more about our research strategy

News from NHLBI

Hydroxychloroquine does not benefit adults hospitalized with COVID-19

A National Institutes of Health clinical trial evaluating the safety and effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of adults with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has formally concluded that the drug provides no clinical benefit to hospitalized patients. Though found not to cause harm, early findings in June when the trial was...

NIH funds community engagement research efforts in areas hardest hit by COVID-19

The National Institutes of Health today announced a $12 million award for outreach and engagement efforts in ethnic and racial minority communities disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The award to RTI International, a non-profit research institution, will support teams in 11 states established as part of the NIH Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities. These teams have received initial funding to immediately create CEAL programs, and RTI will serve as the Technical and Administrative Support and Coordination (TASC) center. 

NIH ACTIV initiative launches adaptive clinical trials of blood clotting treatments for COVID-19

The National Institutes of Health has launched two of three adaptive Phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the safety and effectiveness of varying types of blood thinners to treat adults diagnosed with COVID-19. Part of the Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) initiative, these trials will be conducted at more than 100 sites around the world and will involve patients in various clinical settings — those who have not been hospitalized, those currently hospitalized and those discharged after hospitalization for moderate to severe disease.

NIH clinical trial explores use of convalescent plasma in at-risk outpatients with early COVID-19

Researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health have launched a key study to explore  the safety and effectiveness of convalescent plasma in treating patients who have recently (within the last week) developed mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19 disease. The study, which focuses on patients not yet hospitalized, comes on the heels of an announcement by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) authorizing emergency use of convalescent plasma to help treat hospitalized patients with COVID-19. 

COVID-19 Posing Grim Challenge for Sickle Cell Disease Patients

The coronavirus pandemic has caused tragedy and turmoil for millions of people around the world, but it has been particularly unkind to one group whose health journey is often overlooked: Those with sickle cell disease. A growing number of studies now suggest that people with this painful genetic blood disorder who also are infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease, are more vulnerable to severe health complications than the rest of the population.

COVID and Sleep: Better Slumber During the Pandemic May Help Protect Your Health

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt daily living, researchers are taking a closer look at one requirement for health that many people take for granted: sleep.  And they’ve concluded, perhaps not surprisingly, that improving our sleep schedule and quality is an important part of coping with these stressful times and defending against COVID-19.

NIH halts clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine

Study shows treatment does no harm, but provides no benefit What A clinical trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of adults hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been stopped by the National Institutes of Health. A data and safety monitoring board (DSMB) met late Friday and...

Looking forward: Understanding the long-term effects of COVID-19

NHLBI-funded researchers tackle big questions with large study of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 The doctors on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic may be aware of the health impacts that face survivors of mass shootings or natural disasters, but the highly contagious virus—one of the deadliest in history—is forcing them to grapple...

NIH Statement on World Asthma Day

This year, we recognize that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is creating concern and uncertainty for many people around the globe, including those with asthma. The disease can affect the nose, throat, and lungs, cause an asthma attack, and possibly lead to pneumonia and acute respiratory disease. 

Preliminary trial findings on remdesivir to treat severe COVID-19 cases published 

Roughly two-thirds of patients given antiviral remdesivir on a compassionate use basis to treat COVID-19 showed clinical improvement, according to preliminary results from a Gilead trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study is co-authored by Rear Admiral Richard Childs, M.D., assistant surgeon general and lung specialist at NHLBI, who led a team sent to Japan to screen Americans aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship and bring them home.

NIH clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine, a potential therapy for COVID-19, begins

Study is enrolling hospitalized patients with COVID 19

A clinical trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of adults hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has begun, with the first participants now enrolled in Tennessee.

Experimental drug shows promise in severely-ill ship passengers with coronavirus

An experimental antiviral drug called remdesivir appeared to be beneficial when tested on a small group of American cruise ship passengers treated for the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Japan. Read more about the ongoing work by Rear Admiral Richard Childs, M.D., assistant U.S. surgeon general and clinical director at NHLBI.