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Glycyrrhetinic acid and its derivatives as potential alternative medicine to relieve symptoms in nonhospitalized COVID‐19 patients
Author(s) -
Ding Hong,
Deng Wenjun,
Ding Lingling,
Ye Xiaoqun,
Yin Shanye,
Huang Weishan
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/jmv.26064
Subject(s) - regimen , medical prescription , medicine , covid-19 , pandemic , gold standard (test) , virology , intensive care medicine , infectious disease (medical specialty) , disease , pharmacology
SARS‐CoV‐2 is highly infectious, and infection by this virus results in COVID‐19, manifesting predominantly symptoms in the lower respiratory system. Detection of viral genomic materials by RT‐PCR is the gold standard for diagnosis. Suspected COVID‐19 patients who had a documented history of exposure and exhibited symptoms, but did not have positive PCR test results, were generally self‐quarantined with prescriptions aiming to help attenuate their symptoms. These prescriptions are however neither specific nor highly effective for COVID‐19 treatment. Given the rapidly growing pandemic and the overwhelmed medical system, the number of self‐quarantined patients is increasing. There is an urgent need of alternative medicine to help patients relieve symptoms during self‐quarantine, and to potentially help increase their chances of survival and recovery from the infection. We report here a case of severe COVID‐19 that never had a positive PCR test result during disease progression but was confirmed with antibody test post recovery. This patient was self‐quarantined and received diammonium glycyrrhizinate (DG), a steroid‐like molecule, in combination with vitamin C as alternative medicine. This patient went through severe COVID‐19 but eventually recovered upon the implementation of this treatment regimen, suggesting potential therapeutic effects of DG as alternative medicine to help relieve COVID‐19 symptoms.