Interferon-α2b spray inhalation did not shorten virus shedding time of SARS-CoV-2 in hospitalized patients: a preliminary matched case-control study.
- Author:
Shao-Rui HAO
1
;
Ren YAN
1
;
Shan-Yan ZHANG
1
;
Jiang-Shan LIAN
1
;
Huan CAI
1
;
Xiao-Li ZHANG
1
;
Lin ZHENG
1
;
Hong-Yu JIA
1
;
Jian-Hua HU
1
;
Guo-Dong YU
1
;
Jue-Qing GU
1
;
Chan-Yuan YE
1
;
Ci-Liang JIN
1
;
Ying-Feng LU
1
;
Jiao-Jiao XIN
1
;
Ji-Fang SHENG
1
;
Yi-Da YANG
1
Author Information
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2); Propensity score match; Interferon (IFN)
- MeSH: Albumins/analysis*; Antiviral Agents/administration & dosage*; Betacoronavirus; C-Reactive Protein/analysis*; COVID-19; Case-Control Studies; China; Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy*; Glucocorticoids/pharmacology*; Hospitalization; Humans; Interferon alpha-2/administration & dosage*; Nasal Sprays; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral/drug therapy*; Propensity Score; Retrospective Studies; SARS-CoV-2; Sodium/blood*; Virus Shedding/drug effects*; COVID-19 Drug Treatment
- From: Journal of Zhejiang University. Science. B 2020;21(8):628-636
- CountryChina
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND:Currently, there are no drugs that have been proven to be effective against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Because of its broad antiviral activity, interferon (IFN) should be evaluated as a potential therapeutic agent for treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), especially while COVID-19-specific therapies are still under development.
METHODS:Confirmed COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China, from January 19 to February 19, 2020 were enrolled in a retrospective study. The patients were separated into an IFN group and a control group according to whether they received initial IFN-α2b inhalation treatment after admission. Propensity-score matching was used to balance the confounding factors.
RESULTS:A total of 104 confirmed COVID-19 patients, 68 in the IFN group and 36 in the control group, were enrolled. Less hypertension (27.9% vs. 55.6%, P=0.006), dyspnea (8.8% vs. 25.0%, P=0.025), or diarrhea (4.4% vs. 19.4%, P=0.030) was observed in the IFN group. Lower levels of albumin and C-reactive protein and higher level of sodium were observed in the IFN group. Glucocorticoid dosage was lower in the IFN group (median, 40 vs. 80 mg/d, P=0.025). Compared to the control group, fewer patients in the IFN group were ventilated (13.2% vs. 33.3%, P=0.015) and admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) (16.2% vs. 44.4%, P=0.002). There were also fewer critical patients in the IFN group (7.4% vs. 25.0%, P=0.017) upon admission. Although complications during admission process were comparable between groups, the discharge rate (85.3% vs. 66.7%, P=0.027) was higher and the hospitalization time (16 vs. 21 d, P=0.015) was shorter in the IFN group. When other confounding factors were not considered, virus shedding time (10 vs. 13 d, P=0.014) was also shorter in the IFN group. However, when the influence of other factors was eliminated using propensity score matching, virus shedding time was not significantly shorter than that of the control group (12 vs. 15 d, P=0.206).
CONCLUSIONS:IFN-α2b spray inhalation did not shorten virus shedding time of SARS-CoV-2 in hospitalized patients.
