Abstract
Background
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)2 has emerged as a global pandemic. However, as effective treatments for this disease are still unclear, safe and efficient therapies are urgently needed. Qingfei Paidu decoction (QPD)3 is strongly recommended in the Chinese Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Diagnosis and Treatment Plan (Provisional 6th Edition). However, clinical research data on the effects of QPD on COVID-19 are scarce. Our study aimed to explore the effects of combined treatment with QPD and Western medicine on COVID-19.
Methods
In this study, 63 patients with confirmed COVID-19 were analyzed. During the first 14 days of hospitalization, patients with deteriorating symptoms were administered QPD along with Western medicine therapy (the antiviral medicine selected from interferon, lopinavir, or arbidol). The clinical characteristics and blood laboratory indices (blood routine, inflammatory factors, and multi-organ biochemical indices) were examined, and the total lung severity scores were evaluated in each patient by reviewing chest computed tomography before treatment and at the end of treatment.
Results
Before QPD treatment, the combined treatment group showed higher blood C-reactive protein levels and more severe pulmonary inflammation and clinical symptoms than the Western medicine treatment group. Both groups met the discharge criteria after a similar length of hospitalization. At the end of treatment, circulating white blood cells, total lymphocyte count, and glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase levels improved dramatically in both groups (P < 0.05). In contrast, C-reactive protein, creatine kinase, creatine kinase-myocardial band, lactate dehydrogenase, and blood urea nitrogen levels were improved only in the combined treatment group (P < 0.05), and C-reactive protein and creatine kinase were the most pronounced (P < 0.01). Compared with baseline, at the end of treatment, the proportion of patients with normal values of C-reactive protein, total lymphocyte count, and lactate dehydrogenase were increased in the combined treatment group (P < 0.05), whereas no significant difference was observed in the Western medicine treatment group (P > 0.05).
Conclusion
The combination of QPD with Western medicine demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory effects compared with those of only Western medicine in patients with mild and moderate COVID-19; however, neither mortality nor length of hospitalization was affected. Moreover, the combined treatment tended to mitigate the extent of multi-organ impairment. Long-term randomized controlled trials with follow-up evaluations are required to confirm the results presented here.
【저자키워드】 Coronavirus disease 2019, Diabetes Mellitus, Traditional Chinese medicine, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus, lactate dehydrogenase, Qingfei Paidu decoction, Coronary artery disease, Computed tomography, White blood cell, creatine kinase, Myoglobin, creatinine, Cardiac troponin I, high blood pressure, COVID-19coronavirus disease 2019, SARS-CoVsevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, CRPC-reactive protein, LDHlactate dehydrogenase, Blood urea nitrogen, CTComputed Tomography, ESRerythrocyte sedimentation rate, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, SARS-CoV-2severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, CKcreatine kinase, WBCWhite blood cell, DMDiabetes mellitus, PCTProcalcitonin, TCMTraditional Chinese Medicine, BUNblood urea nitrogen, CADcoronary artery disease, CK-MBcreatine kinase-myocardial band, creatine kinase-myocardial band, CREcreatinine, cTnIcardiac Troponin I, GPTglutamic-pyruvic transaminase, glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, GOTglutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase, glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase, HBPhigh blood pressure, MYOmyoglobin, QPDQingfei Paidu decoction, TLCtotal lymphocyte count, total lymphocyte count, WMWestern medicine, Western medicine, 【초록키워드】 COVID-19, Randomized controlled trial, Treatment, therapy, Mortality, Hospitalization, Clinical characteristics, interferon, lung, Symptom, novel coronavirus pneumonia, discharge, pulmonary inflammation, inflammatory factors, Laboratory, global pandemic, Chest computed tomography, Lymphocyte count, Severity Score, Research, Patient, Mild, Follow-up, group, disease, moderate, Blood, Combination, Safe, criteria, White blood cells, biochemical, no significant difference, clinical symptom, Chinese, treatment group, Blood routine, circulating, plan, anti-inflammatory effect, impairment, antiviral medicine, combined treatment, Administered, Effect, mitigate, effective, Result, selected, analyzed, affected, examined, proportion, evaluated, required, demonstrated, baseline, in both group, 【제목키워드】 COVID-19, Treatment, Efficacy, Retrospective study, clinical,