Hydroxychloroquine and COVID-19 story: is the low-dose treatment the missing link? A comprehensive review and meta-analysis.

Idir Ramdani, Belaid Bouazza

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review

In one paragraph

Synthesis in Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

1citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

Methylene blue for COVID-19 ARDS: insights from a randomized Clinical Trial.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2025
Trial

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

2 authors.

Idir RamdaniEcology, Biotechnology and Health Lab. Faculty of Biological and Agricultural Sciences, Mouloud Mammeri University of Tizi-Ouzou, Route de Hasnaoua, 15000, Tizi-Ouzou, Algeria.

Belaid BouazzaEcology, Biotechnology and Health Lab. Faculty of Biological and Agricultural Sciences, Mouloud Mammeri University of Tizi-Ouzou, Route de Hasnaoua, 15000, Tizi-Ouzou, Algeria. belaid.bouazza@ummto.dz.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has been repurposed and used for the treatment of COVID-19 patients; however, its efficacy remains controversial, maybe partly due to the dosage, ranging from 200 to 800 mg/day, reported in different studies. Indeed, HCQ low dose (≤ 2.4 g/5 days) showed a lower risk of side effects compared to high doses. In this study, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the effect of low-dose HCQ used alone on three outcomes including in-hospital mortality, the need for mechanical ventilation, and ICU admission in COVID-19 patients. A systematic review of English literature was conducted from January 2020 to April 2022, in PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. Studies reporting a dosage of 400 mg twice the first day, followed by 200 mg twice for four days were included. Pooled odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using random-effects models. Eleven studies (12,503 patients) were retained in the quantitative analysis, four observational cohort studies, and seven RCTs. When pooling both observational and RCTs, low-dose HCQ was associated with decreased mortality (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: [0.55-0.97], I

Indexed as

COVID-19 Drug TreatmentHydroxychloroquineCOVID-19HumansObservational Studies as TopicRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicRespiration, ArtificialHydroxychloroquineCOVID-19HydroxychloroquineIntensive care unitLow doseMechanical ventilationMortality

Identifiers

PMID37639021

DOI10.1007/s00210-023-02688-y

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata

Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.