Study: COVID-19 patients treated with hydroxychloroquine have higher death rates

A new study, based on medical charts of veterans has now revealed that the “primary outcomes” of those treated with hydroxychloroquine had higher death rate or required ventilatory support. As doctors around the globe struggle to find an effective drug to cure the deadly coronavirus disease, many laid their hopes on the much-talked-about emergency drug, hydroxychloroquine. Even US President Donald Trump had called it the “Gift of God” and pulled all strings to make it available for the American doctors after it apparently showed positive results in some patients of COVID-19.

What might be a possible setback for health professionals who had been reportedly using either hydroxychloroquine alone or with azithromycin, to cure the COVID-19 disease, is the recent study by medRxiv that analysed the data received from the confirmed patients of coronavirus until April 11 in all US Veterans Health Administration medical centres. 

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Published on April 21, the researchers divided all patients into three categories, the ones who received only hydroxychloroquine (HC), the ones who received hydroxychloroquine with azithromycin (HC+AZ), and the ones who were not exposed to the drug at all (no HC). However, the unprecedented results showed that out of the 368 patients of coronavirus, death rate and the need for ventilation was highest among the ones who had only hydroxychloroquine as their treatment. 

According to the official website, the study said, “Rates of death in the HC, HC+AZ, and no HC groups were 27.8%, 22.1%, 11.4%, respectively. Rates of ventilation in the HC, HC+AZ, and no HC groups were 13.3%, 6.9%, 14.1%, respectively.”

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‘No evidence’

The researchers also declared, based on the study, that they found “no evidence” that Trump’s “game-changer” drug either with or without azithromycin reduced the risk of oxygen support or improved the overall mortality rate of the coronavirus patients. This comes as the global infections have reached over 2.5 million and the death toll spiked to 177,662. US has also become the most severely hit country of the pandemic and has recorded 819,164 confirmed cases of COVID-19 disease with at least 45,340 deaths as of April 22.

The study also said, “In this study, we found no evidence that use of hydroxychloroquine, either with or without azithromycin, reduced the risk of mechanical ventilation in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.”

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Image Source: AP