The Role of Hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Ann Acad Med Singap
; 49(10): 789-800, 2020 Oct.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-962122
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
A systematic review and meta-analysis was carried out to examine the role of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in the treatment of COVID-19.METHODS:
We performed a systematic search in PubMed, Scopus, Embase, CochraneLibrary, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and medRxiv pre-print databases using available MeSH terms for COVID-19 and hydroxychloroquine. Data from all studies that focused on the effectiveness of HCQ with or without the addition of azithromycin (AZM) in confirmed COVID-19 patients, which were published up to 12 September 2020, were collated for analysis using CMA v.2.2.064.RESULTS:
Our systematic review retrieved 41 studies. Among these, 37 studies including 45,913 participants fulfilled the criteria for subsequent meta-analysis. The data showed no significant difference in treatment efficacy between the HCQ and control groups (RR 1.02, 95% CI, 0.81-1.27). Combination of HCQ with AZM also did not lead to improved treatment outcomes (RR 1.26, 95% CI, 0.91-1.74). Furthermore, the mortality difference was not significant, neither in HCQ treatment group (RR 0.86, 95% CI, 0.71-1.03) nor in HCQ plus AZM treatment group (RR 1.28, 95% CI, 0.76-2.14) in comparison to controls. Meta-regression analysis showed that age was the factor that significantly affected mortality (P<0.00001).CONCLUSION:
The meta-analysis found that there was no clinical benefit of using either HCQ by itself or in combination with AZM for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Hence, it may be prudent for clinicians and researchers to focus on other therapeutic options that may show greater promise in this disease.
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Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Antiviral Agents
/
COVID-19 Drug Treatment
/
Hydroxychloroquine
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
/
Reviews
/
Systematic review/Meta Analysis
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Ann Acad Med Singap
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Iran
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