Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37189034›Full record

Trial reportBMC infectious diseases2023

Phase 2 randomised placebo-controlled trial of spironolactone and dexamethasone versus dexamethasone in COVID-19 hospitalised patients in Delhi.

Bharti Wadhwa, Vikas Malhotra, Sukhyanti Kerai, Farah Husain, Nalini Bala Pandey, Kirti N Saxena, Vinay Singh, Tom M Quinn, Feng Li, Erin Gaughan and 8 more

Open access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial, Phase II
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMC infectious diseases, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 35% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Bharti WadhwaDepartment of Anaesthesia, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India. drbhartitaneja@gmail.com.
Vikas MalhotraDepartment of ENT & Head and Neck Surgery, Maulana Azad Medical College & Associated Hospitals, New Delhi, India.
Sukhyanti KeraiDepartment of Anaesthesia, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India.
Farah HusainDepartment of Anaesthesia, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India.
Nalini Bala PandeyDepartment of Anaesthesia, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India.
Kirti N SaxenaDepartment of Anaesthesia, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India.
Vinay SinghDepartment of Anaesthesia, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India.
Tom M QuinnCentre for Inflammation Research, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, BioQuarter, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, UK.
Feng LiCentre for Inflammation Research, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, BioQuarter, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, UK.
Erin GaughanCentre for Inflammation Research, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, BioQuarter, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, UK.
Manu Shankar-HariCentre for Inflammation Research, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, BioQuarter, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, UK.
Bethany MillsCentre for Inflammation Research, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, BioQuarter, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, UK.
Jean AntonelliCentre for Inflammation Research, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, BioQuarter, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, UK.
Annya BruceCentre for Inflammation Research, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, BioQuarter, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, UK.
Keith FinlaysonCentre for Inflammation Research, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, BioQuarter, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, UK.
Anne MooreCentre for Inflammation Research, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, BioQuarter, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, UK.
Kevin DhaliwalCentre for Inflammation Research, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, BioQuarter, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, UK. Kev.Dhaliwal@ed.ac.uk.
Christopher EdwardsImperial College, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK. c.edwards@newcastle.ac.uk.
Maulana Azad Medical College · INCentre for Inflammation Research · GBEdinburgh Royal Infirmary · GBHammersmith Hospital · GB

Funding

LifeArc STOPCOVID
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIn this phase 2 randomised placebo-controlled clinical trial in patients with COVID-19, we hypothesised that blocking mineralocorticoid receptors using a combination of dexamethasone to suppress cortisol secretion and spironolactone is safe and may reduce illness severity.

methodsHospitalised patients with confirmed COVID-19 were randomly allocated to low dose oral spironolactone (50 mg day 1, then 25 mg once daily for 21 days) or standard of care in a 2:1 ratio. Both groups received dexamethasone 6 mg daily for 10 days. Group allocation was blinded to the patient and research team. Primary outcomes were time to recovery, defined as the number of days until patients achieved WHO Ordinal Scale (OS) category ≤ 3, and the effect of spironolactone on aldosterone, D-dimer, angiotensin II and Von Willebrand Factor (VWF).

resultsOne hundred twenty patients with PCR confirmed COVID were recruited in Delhi from 01 February to 30 April 2021. 74 were randomly assigned to spironolactone and dexamethasone (SpiroDex), and 46 to dexamethasone alone (Dex). There was no significant difference in the time to recovery between SpiroDex and Dex groups (SpiroDex median 4.5 days, Dex median 5.5 days, p = 0.055). SpiroDex patients had significantly lower D-dimer levels on days 4 and 7 (day 7 mean D-dimer: SpiroDex 1.15 µg/mL, Dex 3.15 µg/mL, p = 0.0004) and aldosterone at day 7 (SpiroDex 6.8 ng/dL, Dex 14.52 ng/dL, p = 0.0075). There was no difference in VWF or angiotensin II levels between groups. For secondary outcomes, SpiroDex patients had a significantly greater number of oxygen free days and reached oxygen freedom sooner than the Dex group. Cough scores were no different during the acute illness, however the SpiroDex group had lower scores at day 28. There was no difference in corticosteroid levels between groups. There was no increase in adverse events in patients receiving SpiroDex.

conclusionLow dose oral spironolactone in addition to dexamethasone was safe and reduced D-dimer and aldosterone. Time to recovery was not significantly reduced. Phase 3 randomised controlled trials with spironolactone and dexamethasone should be considered.

trial registrationThe trial was registered on the Clinical Trials Registry of India TRI: CTRI/2021/03/031721, reference: REF/2021/03/041472. Registered on 04/03/2021.

Indexed as

COVID-19AldosteroneAngiotensin IICOVID-19 Drug TreatmentDexamethasoneHumansRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicSARS-CoV-2SpironolactoneTreatment Outcomevon Willebrand FactorAldosteroneAngiotensin IIDexamethasoneSpironolactonevon Willebrand FactorCOVID-19Infectious diseasesRespiratory medicineSpironolactone

Identifiers

PMID37189034
PMCPMC10184093
OpenAlexW4376610566

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.