The effects of probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus and colchicine on the control of symptoms, duration, and disease progression of mild and moderate cases of COVID-19: Randomized controlled clinical trial

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Family Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

2 Clinical Pharmacology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

3 Clinical Pharmacology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Galala University, Egypt

4 Internal Medicine department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a newly emerging human disease caused by a novel coronavirus, causing a global pandemic crisis. Probiotics and/or colchicine may be considered as options for treatment since they have anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects. Results: A total of 150 patients with mild and moderate severity of COVID-19 were enrolled in the study, 50 patients in each arm; around one third (34.7%) of the participants were aged between 29 and 39 years; one-quarter (24.7%) were aged between 18 and 28 years and 40.6% were aged 40 years and above. The mean duration of symptoms improvement was 12, 11 and 12 in the colchicine, probiotic, and control groups, respectively. Improvement of inflammatory markers over time occurred in each of the three groups, with no statistically significant difference between them. Conclusion: Probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus and colchicine shows no significant effect on the symptoms, duration, and progression of mild and moderate cases of COVID-19.

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