The Role of Vitamin C as Adjuvant Therapy in COVID-19
RCT 150 hospitalized patients in Pakistan showing 26% faster recovery, p < 0.0001. 36% lower mortality, not statistically significant due to the small number of events. Dosage was 50 mg/kg/day of intravenous vitamin C.
risk of death, 36.4% lower, RR 0.64, p = 0.45, treatment 7 of 75 (9.3%), control 11 of 75 (14.7%), NNT 19.
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risk of mechanical ventilation, 20.0% lower, RR 0.80, p = 0.67, treatment 12 of 75 (16.0%), control 15 of 75 (20.0%), NNT 25.
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recovery time, 26.0% lower, relative time 0.74, p < 0.001, treatment 75, control 75, days to symptom-free.
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hospitalization time, 24.3% lower, relative time 0.76, p < 0.001, treatment 75, control 75, days spent in hospital.
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Effect extraction follows pre-specified rules prioritizing more serious outcomes. Submit updates
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Kumari et al., 30 Nov 2020, Randomized Controlled Trial, Pakistan, peer-reviewed, 10 authors.
Abstract: Open Access Original
Article
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.11779
The Role of Vitamin C as Adjuvant Therapy in
COVID-19
Poona Kumari 1 , Suman Dembra 2 , Pariya Dembra 3 , Fnu Bhawna 4, 5 , Ambresha Gul 6 , Basma Ali 4 ,
Hamza Sohail 4 , Besham Kumar 7 , Muhammad Khizar Memon 8 , Amber Rizwan 9
1. Internal Medicine, Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College, Sukkur, PAK 2. Medicine, Peoples University of
Medical and Health Sciences for Women, Nawabshah, PAK 3. Medicine, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, PAK
4. Internal Medicine, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, PAK 5. Internal Medicine, Qatar Hospital, Karachi, PAK
6. Internal Medicine, People's University of Medical and Health Sciences for Women, Nawabshah, PAK 7. Internal
Medicine, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, PAK 8. Internal Medicine, Liaquat University of Medical and
Health Sciences, Hyderabad, PAK 9. Family Medicine, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, PAK
Corresponding author: Amber Rizwan, amber_aljazeera109@hotmail.com
Abstract
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.
Review began 10/30/2020
Review ended 11/20/2020
Published 11/30/2020
© Copyright 2020
Kumari et al. This is an open access
article distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution License
CC-BY 4.0., which permits unrestricted
Categories: Internal Medicine, Infectious Disease
Keywords: intravenous vitamin c, covid-19, pakistan
use, distribution, and reproduction in any
medium, provided the original author and
source are credited.
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