Evaluation of the effect of melatonin on patients with COVID-19 admitted to ICU: A double-blind randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Introduction and objectives

This research aims to examine the efficacy of melatonin as an adjuvant therapeutic agent for COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit.

Methods

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled investigation was conducted on a group of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Individuals were allocated into 2 groups: one group received a combination of 18 mg of melatonin and standard treatment for 14 days; the other group received a placebo in addition to standard treatment. Patients were evaluated at the beginning of the study as well as the 7th and 15th days to analyze changes in clinical symptoms, P/F ratio, and inflammatory markers.

Results

The study included patients with an average age of 57.80 ± 17.96 years, with an equal gender representation. The average length of hospital stay was 19.83 ± 4.45 days. Hypertension and diabetes were commonly observed comorbidities. There were no significant differences in the demographic characteristics between the 2 groups (P > .05). Additionally, there were no significant distinctions between the 2 groups in terms of clinical symptom improvement, mortality rate, adverse effects, and various blood markers (P > .05).

Conclusion

Our study's findings suggested that melatonin is unlikely to significantly affect the clinical status of COVID-19 patients.