Kumari Poona, Dembra Suman, Dembra Pariya, Bhawna Fnu, Gul Ambresha, Ali Basma, Sohail Hamza, Kumar Besham, Memon Muhammad Khizar, Rizwan Amber
Internal Medicine, Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College, Sukkur, PAK.
Medicine, Peoples University of Medical and Health Sciences for Women, Nawabshah, PAK.
Cureus. 2020 Nov 30;12(11):e11779. doi: 10.7759/cureus.11779.
Background and objective The anti-inflammatory properties of vitamin C (VC) and the promising results it has shown in the treatment for common cold have prompted clinicians to use it as adjuvant therapy in the treatment of COVID-19. The purpose of this study was to find out the role of VC as adjunctive therapy in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methodology This study was conducted from March to July 2020 in the COVID-19 unit of a tertiary care hospital in Karachi. In this randomized controlled trial (RCT), one group received the intervention [50 mg/kg/day of intravenous (IV) VC] along with the standard therapy, and the other group received standard therapy only. Data such as age, gender, vitals, and biochemical values as well as outcomes including the number of days required for treatment, hospital stay, need for ventilation, and mortality were compared between the two groups and recorded using a self-structured questionnaire. Results COVID-19 patients who received IV VC became symptom-free earlier (7.1 ± 1.8 vs. 9.6 ± 2.1 days, p-value: <0.0001) and spent fewer days in the hospital (8.1 ± 1.8 vs. 10.7 ± 2.2 days, p-value: <0.0001) compared to those who received standard therapy only. However, there was no significant difference in the need for mechanical ventilation (p-value: 0.406) and mortality (p-value: 0.31) between the two groups. Conclusion VC can significantly improve clinical symptoms in patients affected with COVID-19; however, it had no impact on mortality and the need for mechanical ventilation. More large-scale studies are required to further assess the role of VC in the treatment of COVID-19.
维生素C(VC)的抗炎特性及其在普通感冒治疗中显示出的良好效果,促使临床医生将其用作2019冠状病毒病(COVID-19)治疗的辅助疗法。本研究的目的是探讨VC作为辅助疗法在2019冠状病毒病(COVID-19)中的作用。方法:本研究于2020年3月至7月在卡拉奇一家三级护理医院的COVID-19病房进行。在这项随机对照试验(RCT)中,一组接受干预[静脉注射(IV)VC,50mg/kg/天]及标准治疗,另一组仅接受标准治疗。比较两组患者的年龄、性别、生命体征、生化值等数据,以及包括治疗所需天数、住院时间、通气需求和死亡率在内的结局,并使用自行编制的问卷进行记录。结果:与仅接受标准治疗的患者相比,接受静脉注射VC的COVID-19患者症状消失更早(7.1±1.8天对9.6±2.1天,p值:<0.0001),住院天数更少(8.1±1.8天对10.7±2.2天,p值:<0.0001)。然而,两组在机械通气需求(p值:0.406)和死亡率(p值:0.31)方面无显著差异。结论:VC可显著改善COVID-19患者的临床症状;然而,它对死亡率和机械通气需求没有影响。需要更多大规模研究来进一步评估VC在COVID-19治疗中的作用。