Antimalarial drugs—are they beneficial in rheumatic and viral diseases?—considerations in COVID-19 pandemic

The majority of the medical fraternity is continuously involved in finding new therapeutic schemes, including antimalarial medications (AMDs), which can be useful in combating the 2019-nCoV: coronavirus disease (COVID-19). For many decades, AMDs have been widely used in the treatment of malaria and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical rheumatology 2022-01, Vol.41 (1), p.1-18
Main Author: Grygiel-Górniak, Bogna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antimalarial agents
Antimalarials - therapeutic use
Antiviral agents
Antiviral Agents - therapeutic use
Autoimmune diseases
Chloroquine
Clinical trials
Connective tissue
Connective tissues
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Drug dosages
Humans
Hydroxychloroquine
Hydroxychloroquine - therapeutic use
Inflammatory diseases
Malaria
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Pandemics
Review
Review Article
Rheumatology
SARS-CoV-2
Viral diseases
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Summary:The majority of the medical fraternity is continuously involved in finding new therapeutic schemes, including antimalarial medications (AMDs), which can be useful in combating the 2019-nCoV: coronavirus disease (COVID-19). For many decades, AMDs have been widely used in the treatment of malaria and various other anti-inflammatory diseases, particularly to treat autoimmune disorders of the connective tissue. The review comprises in vitro and in vivo studies, original studies, clinical trials, and consensus reports for the analysis, which were available in medical databases (e.g., PubMed). This manuscript summarizes the current knowledge about chloroquine (CQ)/hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and shows the difference between their use, activity, recommendation, doses, and adverse effects on two groups of patients: those with rheumatic and viral diseases (including COVID-19). In the case of connective tissue disorders, AMDs are prescribed for a prolonged duration in small doses, and their effect is observed after few weeks, whereas in the case of viral infections, they are prescribed in larger doses for a short duration to achieve a quick saturation effect. In rheumatic diseases, AMDs are well tolerated, and their side effects are rare. However, in some viral diseases, the effect of AMDs is questionable or not so noticeable as suggested during the initial prognosis. They are mainly used as an additive therapy to antiviral drugs, but recent studies have shown that AMDs can diminish the efficacy of some antiviral drugs and may cause respiratory, kidney, liver, and cardiac complications.
ISSN:0770-3198
1434-9949
DOI:10.1007/s10067-021-05805-5