Is Immunomodulatory Property of Hydroxychloroquine Beneficial for Severe COVID-19? A Hospital Based Retrospective Observational Study

Abstract

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hydroxychloroquine is being prescribed by the doctors all over the world for the treatment as well as prevention of COVID-19 with varying results. As we know damage in severe COVID-19 disease occurs mainly via the immunological mechanism. There is an assumption that HCQ has immunomodulatory property and thus may have a beneficial role in severe COVID-19 disease. In this retrospective study, we describe our experience of using low dose of HCQ (200mg/day) in 27 hospitalized severe cases of COVID-19 disease. We found, though the use of HCQ resulted in improvements in chest X-rays, there was no significant reduction in the deaths in the cases where HCQ was used.