ABSTRACT
Background: Coronavirus pandemic has affected a large population worldwide. Currently, the standard care for individuals who are exposed is supportive care, symptomatic management, and isolation. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the combined use of ethanol and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a nasal spray in preventing Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted on volunteer healthcare workers of medical centers who were at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 in Shahroud, Iran. In total, 232 participants were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups to receive DMSO/ethanol or routine care, respectively. The subjects were followed for four weeks to determine the incidence of COVID-19 infection in each group based on the RT-PCR test. Finally, absolute risk difference and relative risk were calculated to evaluate the effect of DMSO on COVID-19 prevention. Results: The results showed that the incidence rates of COVID-19 were 0.07 and 0.008 in the control and intervention groups, respectively. The relative risk was obtained at 0.12 (0.02-0.97) according to the incidence rate in the two groups. Conclusion: Combined administration of DMSO and ethanol by healthcare providers can considerably prevent COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: One of the most critical conditions in the world today is coronavirus (COVID-19). The rapid and unexpected incidence of the disease in various communities has been raised many concerns. Although the respiratory and immune systems are the main targets of COVID-19, acute kidney damage and protein excretion in the urine have also been reported. Managing the disease is even more challenging in patients with kidney disease, especially in people under the pressure of the immune system or severe complications. The effects are especially severe in people with defective immune systems. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the history of kidney disease, clinical findings, hospitalization duration, and mortality in COVID-19 patients. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was aimed to assay the relationship between the history of kidney disease, clinical findings, hospitalization duration, and mortality by evaluating the COVID-19 patients at Semnan Kowsar hospital (Iran). The sample size was included 60 patients (30 patients with a history of kidney disease and 30 patients without any underlying disease). Results: The patients' age was 61.5±16.94 in the renal failure group and 63.77±17.09 in the non-underlying disease group that was not significantly different from each other (P=0.608). Hypertension and cardiovascular disease were observed in renal failure by 56.7% and 46.7%, respectively. The most underlying disease was among patients with renal failure. Also, mortality in the group of patients with renal failure (40%) was significantly higher than the group of patients without underlying disease (13.3%) (P=0.021). No significant difference was observed considering hospitalization duration between the two groups. Conclusion: The risk of mortality in renal failure patients with COVID-19 shows a significant increase compared to the general population. Immune system dysfunctions and the presence of underlying diseases such as hypertension and heart disease make these patients more susceptible to COVID-19, a severe form of the disease, and ultimately an increased mortality rate.