AUTHOR=Huang Wei , Jiang Bo , Luo Jinli , Luo Meng , Ding Xiaoming , Yang Qian , Zhao Lin-Hua , Sun Qin-Guo , Tong Xiao-Lin 

TITLE=Treatment of COVID-19 in Hemodialysis Patients Using Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Single-Center, Retrospective Study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2022.764305

DOI=10.3389/fphar.2022.764305

ISSN=1663-9812

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Background:</bold> To explore the effect of combining traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Western medicine in hemodialysis patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> This study was conducted from 27 January 2020 to 17 March 2020 in Wuhan Third Hospital Guanggu Branch, Wuhan, China. Fifty-three patients were included and divided into a control group (CG), which received Western medicine and a combined treatment group, which received TCM and Western medicine (TG). Clinical and laboratory data, TCM symptom scores, and chest computed tomography results were extracted and compared between the two groups.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> The TG included 21 (67.7%) men and 10 (32.3%) women with a mean age of 61.02 (standard deviation [SD] 15.07, range 26–89) years. The mean dialysis duration in the TG was 49 (SD 31) months. Of all patients in the TG, 27 (87.1%) had fatigue, 18 (58.1%) had dry cough, 16 (51.6%) had anorexia, 11 (35.5%) had dyspnea, and 11 (35.5%) had fever. The CG included 14 (63.6%) men and 8 (36.4%) women with a mean age of 61.45 (SD 13.78, range 36–84) years. The mean dialysis duration in the CG was 63 (SD 46) months. Of all patients in the CG, 21 (95.5%) had fatigue, 12 (54.5%) had dry cough, 17 (77.3%) had anorexia, 12 (54.5%) had dyspnea, and 7 (31.8%) had fever. After treatment, the TCM symptom scores of the two groups decreased; the anorexia scores were lower in the TG than in the CG (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05). After treatment, albumin increased and D-dimer, C-reactive protein, and lactate dehydrogenase levels decreased in the TG. The d-dimer levels were lower and the albumin level was higher in the TG than in the CG after treatment (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05). The cure rate was higher, and the mortality rate was lower in the TG than in the CG (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05).</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> A combination of TCM and Western medicine in hemodialysis patients with COVID-19 could relieve symptoms and help recovery. Further evidence from larger randomized controlled trials is needed to confirm our results.</p>