EVALUATION OF THE THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF COMBINED HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE AND AZITHROMYCINE IN PATIENTS WITH COVID-19

Introduction: Coronavirus pandemic is currently a global health concern with no established treatment guidelines. The aim of the present study was to determine the therapeutic effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine combined with azithromycin in patients with positive coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) admitted to the hospital with severe dyspnea, as well as the incidence of occurrence of adverse effects. Methods: It was intended to utilize a retrospective clinical study of approximately 250 adult patients admitted to the ALSALAM Teaching Hospital in Mosul city with mild to moderate COVID-19 in order to evaluate treatment efficacy in combination with clinical and biochemical findings. Two groups were involved in the research. The first patient group consisted of 250 people who got hydroxychloroquine in conjunction with azithromycin, while the second untreated control group consisted of 100 individuals who received no medication as part of the research. Results: Baseline parameters (clinical and biochemical assays) did not vary substantially among the two groups. Patients in the treatment group were hospitalized at a rate of 30%, compared to 27% in the untreated control group (P<0.001). Between groups, there were no statistically significant changes in mortality, non-invasive oxygen demand, or hospitalization duration. Biochemical and Clinical outcomes were comparable between those receiving hydroxychloroquine with azithromycin and those do not receive any medication. Conclusion: This treatment regimen was shown to be not affective in mild to severe positve COVID-19 hospitalized patients and was associated with a small number of mild to moderate clinical adverse effects. © 2022, University of Defence, Faculty of Military Health Sciences. All rights reserved.