2023-10-03 07:29:00
by Patrizia Li Volsi
Metformin has demonstrated clinical benefits when used as a treatment for Covid and has several advantages: globally available, low cost and safe, having been used for years in the treatment of type 2 diabetes
My husband had Covid and is struggling to recover. I read about a drug used for diabetes that is good in these cases: right?
Patrizia Li Volsi, diabetologist, Endocrinology Structure, ASFO Pordenone, Association of Diabetologists (VAI AL FORUM)
Sars-CoV-2 infection can lead to a post-Covid condition, also known as Long Covid. This heterogeneous syndrome can range from a single symptom to severe multiorgan involvement, from a mild to a debilitating form. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that Long Covid disproportionately affects people from racial and ethnic minorities. Therefore preventing Long Covid in already socially disadvantaged people becomes fundamental. There are different estimates on the prevalence of Long Covid after Sars-CoV-2 infection. Early in the pandemic, symptoms beyond four weeks after infection were not fully recognized, and most clinical trials did not follow participants longer than 35 days. The percentage of adults infected with Sars-CoV-2 who are diagnosed with Long Covid still remains poorly described.
Overweight or obese adults
A study recently published in the Lancet
tried to evaluate in outpatients suffering from Covid whether treatment with metformin (antidiabetic), ivermectin (anthelmintic) or fluvoxamine (antidepressant) immediately after Sars-CoV-2 infection could reduce the risk of Long Covid. The group of US researchers led by Carolyn Bramante, from the University of Minneapolis, included adults aged between 30 and 85 who were overweight or obese and had Covid symptoms and a positive PCR or antigen test for Sars-CoV-2. Participants were randomized to receive metformin plus ivermectin, metformin plus fluvoxamine, metformin plus placebo, ivermectin plus placebo, fluvoxamine plus placebo, or placebo plus placebo. 1,431 people were enrolled and 1,323 received a dose of study treatment.
The effect of metformin
Of these, 1,126 consented to long-term follow-up and completed at least one Long Covid assessment questionnaire at day 180; 1,074 completed it after at least nine months. The mean age was 45 years and the mean body mass index was 29.8 kg/m. Of 1,126 participants, 93 (8.3%) reported receiving a diagnosis of Long Covid by day 300. Outpatient treatment with metformin reduces the incidence of Long Covid by approximately 41% compared to placebo. However, there was no effect on the incidence of Long Covid with ivermectin or fluvoxamine. Metformin has therefore demonstrated clinical benefits when used as an outpatient treatment for Covid and has several advantages: globally available, low cost and safe, as it has been used for years in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
October 3, 2023 (modified October 3, 2023 | 07:46)
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