Hydrogen Inhalation Shows Promise as Safe COVID-19 Treatment
H <sub>2</sub> inhalation therapy in patients with moderate COVID-19 (H <sub>2</sub> COVID): a prospective ascending-dose phase I clinical trial
Research hubs: Respiratory System
- Evidence type
- Uncontrolled trial (single-arm or pilot) · Human study
- Authors
- C. Salomez-Ihl, J. Giai, M. Barbado, A. Paris, S. Touati, J. P. Alcaraz, S. Tanguy, C. Leroy, A. Lehmann, B. Degano, M. Gavard, P. Bedouch, P. Pavese, A. Moreau-Gaudry, M. Roustit, F. Boucher, P. Cinquin, J. P. Brion
- Journal
- Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
- Year
- 2024
- PMID
- 39016593
- Study Type
- Human
- Participants
- 12
- Delivery
- Gas
- Dose
- Single ascending-dose design with three exposure durations: 1 day, 3 days, and 6 days
- H₂ concentration
- 3.6% H2
- Duration
- 6 days
- Funding
- AirProducts
- Conflicts of interest
- None declared
- Outcome
- Positive
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Cited by
- 10 (OpenAlex, as of November 2026)
- Country
- France
TL;DR
Breathing in a special hydrogen gas mixture appears to be a safe potential treatment for COVID-19 patients.
Key Finding
Inhaled hydrogen gas (3.6% mixed with nitrogen) was safe and well-tolerated in all 12 hospitalized COVID-19 patients tested, with no serious adverse effects reported.
Summary
Researchers tested whether inhaling a mixture of hydrogen gas (3.6%) and nitrogen (96.4%) could be safely used to help treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients. In this early-stage safety study of 12 patients, all participants tolerated the treatment well and showed clinical improvement. The study found that patients could safely inhale this hydrogen mixture for at least 3 days without problems.
Practical Takeaway
This is a very small, early-stage safety study in hospitalized COVID-19 patients—it does not yet prove that hydrogen inhalation is effective as a COVID-19 treatment. While the safety results are encouraging, much larger controlled trials are needed before any conclusions can be drawn about whether this therapy actually helps COVID-19 patients recover faster or better than standard care alone.
Abstract (excerpt)
ABSTRACT The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has triggered a serious global health crisis, resulting in millions of reported deaths since its initial identification in China in November 2019. The global…