The effect of hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19 patients who did not receive corticosteroids

At the beginning of the pandemic, Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) was one of the most widely used drugs prescribed to patients admitted to hospitals with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We try to find the effect of HCQ on the severity and mortality of patients who did not receive corticosteroids.

In this retrospective study, patients with COVID-19 disease were collected from February 20, 2020, to July 21, 2020, at Rouhani Hospital in Babol. Patients were followed up until December 6, 2021. In this study, 170 patients in case and control groups were studied. We used logistic and COX regression models to explore the effects of drugs. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 22.

The use of HCQ did not affect mortality (p=0. 46, 95%CI= 0.63 to 2.71, OR= 1.31) and final severity (p= 0.75, 95%CI= 0.59 to 2.06, OR= 1.10) at admission time. However, azithromycin remained in the final model but did not have a significant effect (P= 0.08, HR= 0.28, 95%CI= 0.06 to 0.18). Heparin use was not associated with severity improvement (p= 0.06, 95%CI= 0.97 to 2.81, HR= 1.65), while ceftriaxone remained a factor affecting severity in the model (p = 0.03, 95% CI= 0.29 to 0.95, HR = 0.52).

In this study, HCQ harmed mortality admission time and was ineffective in the long term. The use of ceftriaxone compared to other drugs showed protective effects against the mortality hospitalization time. Heparin is not recommended without considering the risk of bleeding in COVID-19 patients.