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Probiotics use is associated with improved clinical outcomes among hospitalized patients with COVID-19
Lina Zhang1, Huanqin Han2, Xuan Li1
1Department of Liver Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Disease, Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Insights
Probiotics use significantly improved clinical outcomes for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This included faster recovery, shorter fever duration, and reduced hospital stays, suggesting a beneficial role for probiotics in COVID-19 treatment.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Gut microbial dysbiosis is linked to COVID-19 severity.
- Probiotics are considered as an adjunctive therapy for COVID-19.
- The specific benefits of probiotics for COVID-19 patients remain under-investigated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the relationship between probiotics use and clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients.
- To evaluate the impact of probiotics on recovery rates and symptom duration.
- To determine if probiotics can be a beneficial adjunctive therapy for COVID-19.
Main Methods:
- A propensity-score matched retrospective cohort study was conducted.
- Adult COVID-19 patients were divided into two groups: probiotics plus standard care, and standard care alone.
- Clinical improvement rate, viral shedding, fever duration, and hospital stay were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Probiotics use was associated with higher clinical improvement rates (log-rank p=0.028).
- Patients receiving probiotics experienced shorter times to clinical improvement, fever resolution, viral shedding, and hospital stay.
- The positive association between probiotics and improved outcomes was confirmed in both matched and unmatched cohorts.
Conclusions:
- Probiotics use demonstrated a relationship with improved clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients.
- The findings suggest probiotics may be a beneficial adjunctive therapy for COVID-19.
- Further research is needed to validate these findings and their impact on the pandemic.
Background And Aims:
Currently, there are no definitive therapies for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Gut microbial dysbiosis has been proved to be associated with COVID-19 severity and probiotics is an adjunctive therapy for COIVD-19. However, the potential benefit of probiotics in COVID-19 has not been studied. We aimed to assess the relationship of probiotics use with clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19.
Methods:
We conducted a propensity-score matched retrospective cohort study of adult patients with COVID-19. Eligible patients received either probiotics plus standard care (probiotics group) or standard care alone (non-probiotics group). The primary outcome was the clinical improvement rate, which was compared among propensity-score matched groups and in the unmatched cohort. Secondary outcomes included the duration of viral shedding, fever, and hospital stay.
Results:
Among the propensity-score matched groups, probiotics use was related to clinical improvement rates (log-rank p = 0.028). This relationship was driven primarily by a shorter (days) time to clinical improvement [difference, -3 (-4 to -1), p = 0.022], reduction in duration of fever [-1.0 (-2.0 to 0.0), p = 0.025], viral shedding [-3 (-6 to -1), p < 0.001], and hospital stay [-3 (-5 to -1), p = 0.009]. Using the Cox model with time-varying exposure, use of probiotics remained independently related to better clinical improvement rate in the unmatched cohort.
Conclusion:
Our study suggested that probiotics use was related to improved clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Further studies are required to validate the effect of probiotics in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
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