What is hydroxychloroquine?
It is a medication to prevent and treat malaria in areas where malaria remains sensitive to chloroquine. Other uses include treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and porphyria cutanea tarda.
It is an orally consumed medicine.
How is it being used?
The drug can help tame an overactive immune system. It's been used since the 1940s to prevent and treat malaria and to treat rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
Evidence to overcome COVID-19
Some small and preliminary studies give conflicting results. One lab study suggested it curbed the virus's ability to enter the cells.
Another report on 11 people did not improve how fast the patients cleared the virus or their symptoms.
Case: 1
A report from China claimed the drug helped more than 100 people at 10 hospitals, but they had various degrees of illness and were treated with various doses at different time lengths of time and might have recovered without the drug, there was no group that didn't get the drug for comparison.
Case: 2
Other researchers in China reported that cough, pneumonia, and fever seemed to improve sooner among 31 patients given hydroxychloroquine compares to 31 others who did not get the drug, Although fewer people in the comparison group had cough and fevers to start with.
Case : 3
Four people have severely developed the virus symptoms who are not in the comparison group of drugs given.
These results were posted online and have not been reviewed by other scientists or published in a journal.
Case: 4
A small study from France that President Donald Trump touted as evidence of the drug's benefit is now in question.
Larger, more rigorous studies are underway now.
RISK
The drug can cause heart rhythm problems, severely low blood pressure, and muscle or nerve damage. Taking it outside of a scientific experiment adds on the risk of not having tracking in place to watch for any of these side effects or problems and quickly address them if they do occur.
Until Next Time! Adios Stay Safe!
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