Effects of high dose vitamin C administration in Covid-19 patients

Abstract

Aim: There is currently no pharmacotherapy with for the treatment of COVID-19. We aimed to investigate the effects of early and high-dose vitamin C (VC) therapy in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
Materials and Methods: We included patients (n=139) who received high-dose VC supplement to the standard treatment protocol into group 1 (n=58), and only those who received a standard treatment protocol into group 2 (n=81). The patients' requirement for supplemental oxygen therapy, requirement for intensive care treatment and survival rates was investigated retrospectively. Furthermore, the changes in white blood cell, C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin, D-Dimer, renal function tests, ferritin, and interleukin 6 values during hospitalization were evaluated.
Results: When the groups were compared in terms of clinical data, there was no significant difference in terms of the patients requiring supplemental oxygen therapy (p=0.808), requiring intensive care (p=0.662), and survival rates (p=0.185). However, a significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of changes in renal function tests, and CRP values (p<0.05).
Conclusion: In the present study, early administration of high-dose VC to patients with COVID-19 has a reducing effect on the impaired kidney functions. Therefore, we recommend the use of VC as an early supplemental therapy in patients with COVID-19.