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Case Reports
. 2023 Apr 21;15(4):e37926.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.37926. eCollection 2023 Apr.

Treatment of Long-Haul COVID Patients With Off-Label Acyclovir

Emily R German  1 , Meera K Jairath  1 , John Caston  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Treatment of Long-Haul COVID Patients With Off-Label Acyclovir

Emily R German et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

The SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19) became a global pandemic in March 2020. This novel, highly infectious virus caused millions of infections and deaths around the world. Currently, there are few medications that are available for the treatment of COVID-19. Those affected are most commonly given supportive care, with some experiencing symptoms for months. We report a series of four cases depicting the successful use of acyclovir in the treatment of the virus SARS-CoV-2 in patients with long-haul symptoms, especially those in the realm of encephalopathy and neurological problems. Treatment with acyclovir in these patients resolved their symptoms and lowered their IgG and IgM titers, supporting the use of acyclovir as a safe and effective treatment for COVID-19 neurologic symptoms. We suggest the use of the antiviral medication, acyclovir, as a treatment for patients with long-term symptoms and unusual presentations of the virus, such as encephalopathy or coagulopathy.

Keywords: acyclovir therapy; coronavirus disease (covid-19); covid 19; covid long haul syndrome; covid-19 neurological outcomes; covid-19-related encephalopathy; long-haul covid; psychological issues due to covid-19.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. IgG and IgM trends in Patient A
The trends in the titers for Patient A. A decreasing trend in both IgG and IgM indicates a decreasing immune response from the body as the patient recovers from the disease.
Figure 2
Figure 2. IgG and IgM trends in Patient B
The trends in the titers for Patient B. A decreasing trend in both IgG and IgM shows a decreasing immune response from the body as the patient recovers from the disease.
Figure 3
Figure 3. IgG and IgM trends in Patient C
The trends in the titers for Patient C. A decreasing trend in both IgG and IgM shows a decreasing immune response from the body as the patient recovers from the disease.
Figure 4
Figure 4. IgG and IgM trends in Patient D
The trends in the titers for Patient D. A decreasing trend in both IgG and IgM shows a decreasing immune response from the body as the patient recovers from the disease.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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