Open AccessReducing length of hospital stay with colchicine
Author(s) -
Özlem Karakaş,
Abdülsamet Erden,
Serdar Can Güven,
Berkan Armağan,
Enes Seyda Şahiner,
Ali Can Kurtipek,
Osman İnan,
Emin Gemcioğlu,
İhsan Ateş,
Ahmet Omma,
Orhan Küçükşahin
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
journal of infection in developing countries
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2036-6590
pISSN - 1972-2680
DOI - 10.3855/jidc.14924
Subject(s) - medicine , colchicine , intensive care unit , retrospective cohort study , cohort , intensive care , covid-19 , standard of care , demographics , cohort study , emergency medicine , intensive care medicine , disease , demography , sociology , infectious disease (medical specialty)
Colchicine is an ancient agent with well-known anti-inflammatory effects and commonly used in treatment of hyperinflammatory conditions. It has been argued that colchicine could be an appropriate treatment option in COVID-19 to control hyperinflammatory response. Here in this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of colchicine on outcomes of COVID-19 in our inpatient cohort.
Methodology: In this retrospective cohort study, hospitalized COVID-19 patients were investigated. Demographics, comorbidities, COVID-19 symptoms, laboratory findings on admission and discharge, baseline and seventh day oxygenation status, rates of mortality, intensive care unit admission, administration of other anti-inflammatory treatments and length of hospital stay were compared between patients who received standard of care medications and who received colchicine additionally.
Results: Three hundred and thirty-six patients were included in the study (171 standard of care, 165 standard of care plus colchicine). The median length of hospital stay in colchicine group was significantly shorter. Rates of admission to intensive care unit, anti-inflammatory treatment administration and mortality did not differentiate between standard of care and colchicine groups. However, reduced rates of mortality and ICU admission were observed in patients who received colchicine with a dose of 1 mg/day when compared to patients who received 0.5 mg/day.
Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that COVID-19 patients who received colchicine in addition to standard of care had shorter hospital stay. Our results further support the use of colchicine in treatment of COVID-19, particularly with a dose of 1 mg/day.