Antihistamines and azithromycin as a treatment for COVID-19

This study suggests that primary care diagnosis and treatment with antihistamines, plus azithromycin in selected cases, may treat COVID-19 and prevent progression to severe disease in elderly patients

ACCESS THE published paper

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; Coronavirus; Azithromycin; Antihistamines; Elderly

Figures:

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The flow chart of the complete treatment protocol used in Primary Care.
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Number and percentage of nursing home patients by age group (both nursing homes together).

Summary of the work in pdf
Summary of the work done by Yepes’ doctors and published in January 2021 in a North American scientific journal, explained in simple language.

Description of the Study:

  • Title: Antihistamines and azithromycin as a treatment for COVID-19 on primary health care – A retrospective observational study in elderly patients.
  • Principal investigators: Juan Ignacio Morán Blanco, Judith A. Alvarenga Bonilla, Sakae Homma, Kazuo Suzuki, Philip Fremont-Smith and Karina Villar Gómez de las Heras.
  • Centers of Implementation: Two nursing homes in a rural area of Toledo.
  • Study Population: 84 elderly patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and 64 employees located in two separate nursing homes.
  • Study Type: Retrospective observational study.
  • Design: A retrospective observational study of a case series of 84 elderly patients diagnosed with COVID-19, living in two nursing homes in a rural area of Toledo. The study period runs from the beginning of March to the end of June 2020.

Objectives of the Study:

Principal Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of early COVID-19 treatment using a combination of antihistamines and azithromycin in elderly patients, to control the disease at Primary Health Care level. Fatality, hospital, and ICU admission rates from this case series are compared with Spanish official metrics for this patient population.


More about this Study:

Between March and April 2020, 84 elderly patients with suspected COVID-19 living in two nursing homes of Yepes, Toledo (Spain) were treated early with antihistamines (dexchlorpheniramine, cetirizine or loratadine), adding azithromycin in the 25 symptomatic cases.

The primary endpoint is the fatality rate of COVID-19. The secondary endpoints are the hospital and ICU admission rates. Endpoints were compared with the official Spanish rates for the elderly. The mean age of the study population was 85 and 48% were over 80 years old. No hospital admissions, deaths, nor adverse drug effects were reported in the patient population. By the end of June, 100% of the residents had positive serology for COVID-19.

The study was classified by the AEMPS (Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices) and approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of the IIS-FJD (Madrid).

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