Prescription Patterns of Drugs Given to Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study in Colombia.

Luis Fernando Valladales-Restrepo,Camilo Alexander Constain-Mosquera,Jaime Andrés Giraldo-Correa,Alejandra Sabogal-Ortiz,Brayan Stiven Aristizábal-Carmona,Jorge Enrique Machado-Alba

doi:10.3390/antibiotics11030333

Luis Fernando Valladales-Restrepo, Camilo Alexander Constain-Mosquera + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11030333

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Abstract

The impact of COVID-19 prompted a race to find a treatment that would reduce its mortality. Most studies have not shown favorable results for many of these drugs, but they are still used. The aim as to determine the differences and similarities in the hospital pharmacological management of patients with COVID-19 according to sex, age group, and geographical region of Colombia, 2020–2021. Descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on the prescription patterns of the medications given to patients diagnosed with COVID-19 treated in eight clinics in Colombia between 6 March 2020 and 31 May 2021. We performed a descriptive analysis of the sociodemographic, clinical, and pharmacological variables of the patients. A total of 8596 patients from 170 cities were identified, with a median age of 53.0 years and 53.3% of them men. A total of 24.3% required care in the intensive care unit, and 18.7% required invasive mechanical ventilation. The most commonly used drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 were systemic corticosteroids (63.6%), followed by colchicine (12.8%), azithromycin (8.9%), and ivermectin (6.4%). Corticosteroids, anticoagulants, colchicine, azithromycin, ivermectin, and hydroxychloroquine were prescribed more frequently in men, and their overall use increased with age. There were differences in prescriptions between geographic regions. The majority of patients were managed with medications included in the management guidelines. There were differences between sexes, age groups, and geographical regions.

Highlights

The type 2 coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2)is the cause of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) [1], which has had a great global impact as a severe public health problem, such that on 12 March 2020, the World HealthOrganization declared it a pandemic [2]
In the midst of the need to find an effective treatment for COVID-19, antiviral drugs, antibiotics, antimalarials, immunosuppressants, immunomodulators, and corticosteroids, among others, have been chosen as therapeutic measures that help reduce the mortality of mechanical ventilation, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and other complications caused by the virus [7,8]
The objective of this study was to determine the differences and similarities in the hospital pharmacological management of patients with COVID-19 according to sex, age group, and geographical region of Colombia

Summary

Introduction

Is the cause of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) [1], which has had a great global impact as a severe public health problem, such that on 12 March 2020, the World Health. In Colombia, according to the National Institute of Health, almost 5 million people have contracted and more than 126 thousand people have died from COVID-19 [4] This pandemic has generated an unprecedented burden on health systems around the world in the form of a greater number of hospital admissions and high demands for intensive care unit (ICU) beds, advanced respiratory support, renal replacement therapy, and other interventions for life support and medical care [5]. They are used in the general population, bringing the risk of drug interactions and adverse drug reactions [11,12]

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