In:
PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science (PLoS), Vol. 16, No. 3 ( 2021-3-24), p. e0248276-
Abstract:
Effective treatments for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are urgently needed. We hypothesized that colchicine, by counteracting proinflammatory pathways implicated in the uncontrolled inflammatory response of COVID-19 patients, reduces pulmonary complications, and improves survival. Methods This retrospective study included 71 consecutive COVID-19 patients (hospitalized with pneumonia on CT scan or outpatients) who received colchicine and compared with 70 control patients who did not receive colchicine in two serial time periods at the same institution. We used inverse probability of treatment propensity-score weighting to examine differences in mortality, clinical improvement (using a 7-point ordinary scale), and inflammatory markers between the two groups. Results Amongst the 141 COVID-19 patients (118 [83.7%] hospitalized), 70 (50%) received colchicine. The 21-day crude cumulative mortality was 7.5% in the colchicine group and 28.5% in the control group (P = 0.006; adjusted hazard ratio: 0.24 [95%CI: 0.09 to 0.67] ); 21-day clinical improvement occurred in 40.0% of the patients on colchicine and in 26.6% of control patients (adjusted relative improvement rate: 1.80 [95%CI: 1.00 to 3.22]). The strong association between the use of colchicine and reduced mortality was further supported by the diverging linear trends of percent daily change in lymphocyte count (P = 0.018), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (P = 0.003), and in C-reactive protein levels (P = 0.009). Colchicine was stopped because of transient side effects (diarrhea or skin rashes) in 7% of patients. Conclusion In this retrospective cohort study colchicine was associated with reduced mortality and accelerated recovery in COVID-19 patients. This support the rationale for current larger randomized controlled trials testing the safety/efficacy profile of colchicine in COVID-19 patients.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1932-6203
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0248276
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0248276.g001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0248276.g002
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0248276.g003
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0248276.g004
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0248276.t001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0248276.s001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0248276.s002
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0248276.s003
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0248276.s004
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0248276.s005
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0248276.r001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0248276.r002
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0248276.r003
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0248276.r004
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0248276.r005
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0248276.r006
Language:
English
Publisher:
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Publication Date:
2021
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2267670-3
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