Observational studyPloS one2020
Observational study of azithromycin in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
Observational study in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Azithromycin in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy · 2022Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety of azithromycin in Covid-19 patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.Reviews in medical virology · 2022Pooled it
- Antibiotics Use in COVID-19 Patients: A Systematic Literature Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Review
- Repurposing the estrogen receptor modulator raloxifene to treat SARS-CoV-2 infection.Cell death and differentiation · 2022Review
- Evaluation of early antibiotic use in patients with non-severe COVID-19 without bacterial infection.International journal of antimicrobial agents · 2022Article
- Efficacy and Safety of Azithromycin for the Treatment of COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Tuberculosis and respiratory diseases · 2021Article
- Sales of antibiotics and hydroxychloroquine in India during the COVID-19 epidemic: An interrupted time series analysis.PLoS medicine · 2021Article
- Matched cohort study on the efficacy of tocilizumab in patients with COVID-19.One health (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2021Article
- Article
- The interplay of SARS-CoV-2 andFuture microbiology · 2021Article
- An Update on Antiviral Therapy Against SARS-CoV-2: How Far Have We Come?Frontiers in pharmacology · 2021Review
- Rationale for azithromycin in COVID-19: an overview of existing evidence.BMJ open respiratory research · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe rapid spread of the disease caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus has led to the use of multiple therapeutic agents whose efficacy has not been previously demonstrated. The objective of this study was to analyze whether there is an association between the use of azithromycin and the evolution of the pulmonary disease or the time to discharge, in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
methodsThis was an observational study on a cohort of 418 patients admitted to three regional hospitals in Catalonia, Spain. As primary outcomes, we studied the evolution of SAFI ratio (oxygen saturation/fraction of inspired oxygen) in the first 48 hours of treatment and the time to discharge. The results were compared between patients treated and untreated with the study drug through subcohort analyses matched for multiple clinical and prognostic factors, as well as through analysis of non-matched subcohorts, using Cox multivariate models adjusted for prognostic factors.
resultsThere were 239 patients treated with azithromycin. Of these, 29 patients treated with azithromycin could be matched with an equivalent number of control patients. In the analysis of these matched subcohorts, SAFI at 48h had no significant changes associated to the use of azithromycin, though azithromycin treatment was associated with a longer time to discharge (10.0 days vs 6.7 days; log rank: p = 0.039). However, in the unmatched cohorts, the increased hospital stay associated to azithromycin use, was no significant after adjustment using Multivariate Cox regression models: hazard ratio 1.45 (IC95%: 0.88-2.41; p = 0.150). This study is limited by its small sample size and its observational nature; despite the strong pairing of the matched subcohorts and the adjustment of the Cox regression for multiple factors, the results may be affected by residual confusion.
conclusionsWe did not find a clinical benefit associated with the use of azithromycin, in terms of lung function 48 hours after treatment or length of hospital stay.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.