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. 2020 Dec;18(12):1259-1261.
doi: 10.1080/14787210.2020.1794819. Epub 2020 Aug 1.

The use of IV vitamin C for patients with COVID-19: a case series

Raul Hiedra  1 , Kevin Bryan Lo  1 , Mohammad Elbashabsheh  1 , Fahad Gul  1 , Robert Matthew Wright  2 , Jeri Albano  1 , Zurab Azmaiparashvili  1 , Gabriel Patarroyo Aponte  3
Affiliations

The use of IV vitamin C for patients with COVID-19: a case series

Raul Hiedra et al. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2020 Dec.

Abstract

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected almost 2.5 million people worldwide with almost 170,000 deaths reported to date. So far, there is scarce evidence for the current treatment options available for COVID-19. Vitamin C has previously been used for treatment of severe sepsis and septic shock. We reviewed the feasibility of using vitamin C in the setting of COVID-19 in a series of patients.

Methods: We sequentially identified a series of patients who were requiring at least 30% of FiO2 or more who received IV vitamin C as part of the COVID-19 treatment and analyzed their demographic and clinical characteristics. We compared inflammatory markers pre and post treatment including D-dimer and ferritin.

Results: We identified a total of 17 patients who received IV vitamin C for COVID-19. The inpatient mortality rate in this series was 12% with 17.6% rates of intubation and mechanical ventilation. We noted a significant decrease in inflammatory markers, including ferritin and D-dimer, and a trend to decreasing FiO2 requirements, after vitamin C administration.

Conclusion: The use of IV vitamin C in patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 disease may be feasible.

Keywords: COVID-19; coronavirus; mortality; sepsis; vitamin C.

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