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

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...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Antibiotics (Basel) 2022-03, Vol.11 (3), p.333
Main Authors: Valladales-Restrepo, Luis Fernando, Giraldo-Correa, Jaime Andrés, Aristizábal-Carmona, Brayan Stiven, Constain-Mosquera, Camilo Alexander, Sabogal-Ortiz, Alejandra, Machado-Alba, Jorge Enrique
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Age groups
Antibiotics
Anticoagulants
Azithromycin
Colchicine
Coronaviruses
Corticoids
Corticosteroids
COVID-19
Cross-sectional studies
Diabetes
Drugs
Hospitalization
Hospitals
Hydroxychloroquine
Hypertension
Ivermectin
Mechanical ventilation
Mortality
Pandemics
Patients
Pharmacology
Public health
SARS-CoV-2
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Sociodemographics
Steroids
Ventilators
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Summary: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.
ISSN:2079-6382
2079-6382
DOI:10.3390/antibiotics11030333