Impact of colchicine on the clinical outcome of COVID-19

Abstract

Background: Because of the emergence of the pandemic of SARS-Cov2 infection and the Global burden of COVID-19 on the worldwide healthcare systems, it became mandatory for all researchers to search for better preventive as well treatment strategies. Aim of the Work: The aim of the work is to study the effects of colchicine on the COVID-19 patients' clinical outcomes and the inflammatory markers during the disease.Materials and Methods: This comparative, randomized controlled study has been conducted on patients confirmed to have COVID-19 attending Ain Shams Isolation hospital from Feb-2021 and May-2021. The institutional review board of Ain Shams University’s research ethical committee approved the study. A total of 260 participants were randomized with 130 assigned to each group as follows: The Study Group (colchicine group) (n=130): included patients who received COVID-19 treatment protocol plus colchicine according to the study protocol. The Control Group (n=130): included patients who received COVID-19 treatment protocol only without colchicine. Results: Both groups were comparable regarding age, BMI, and gender. Females constituted 58.1% & 56.0% of cases in the colchicine group & the control group, respectively. At presentation, as regards the severity, both groups are comparable (p = 0.553). In day 14, the improvement in the clinical status in the colchicine group 0.64 (0.96) is significantly (p-value = 0.002) higher than in the control group 0.28 (0.99).Conclusion: The beneficial effect of colchicine in COVID-19 cases is self-evident for both the clinical status and laboratory evaluation