Special Saline Solution Cuts COVID-19 Hospitalization Risk by 92%

Authors
Journal
Research Square
Year
DOI
10.21203/rs.3.rs-68403/v1
Study Type
Human
Outcome
Positive
Peer Reviewed
Yes
Country
Mexico
Health Condition
COVID-19
Body System
Respiratory

TL;DR

A treatment using a special saline solution reduced hospitalization risk and improved symptoms in COVID-19 patients without causing serious side effects.

Key Finding

Patients with COVID-19 who received intravenous and/or nebulized electrolyzed saline combined with usual medical care had a 92% lower risk of hospitalization and were 43 times more likely to report acceptable symptom improvement by day 5 compared to usual care alone.

Summary

This study tested whether a special salt solution created through electrolysis (a process that uses electricity to create reactive chemicals) could help COVID-19 patients when added to standard medical care. Researchers gave 45 patients the electrolyzed saline solution either through an IV, as a nebulizer (inhaled mist), or both, plus usual care, while 39 patients received usual care alone. Over 20 days, patients receiving the electrolyzed saline had much lower rates of hospitalization and reported feeling significantly better by day 5 compared to the control group.

Practical Takeaway

While this study shows promising results for electrolyzed saline in COVID-19 treatment, it was relatively small (84 total patients) and open-label (participants knew which treatment they received), which can introduce bias. The findings suggest electrolyzed saline may have immunomodulatory effects, but larger, blinded studies would be needed to confirm these results before drawing firm conclusions about its effectiveness. This research does not directly address hydrogen water, which is a different product.

Abstract

Abstract Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is currently the main public health problem worldwide. The administration of neutral electrolyzed saline, a solution that contains reactive species of chlorine and oxygen (ROS), may be an effective therapeutic alternative due to its immunomodulating characteristics, in systemic inflammation control, as well as in immune response improvement, promoting control of the viral infection. The present study evaluated the efficacy of treatment with intravenous and/or nebulized neutral electrolyzed saline combined with usual medical care versus usual medical care alone, in ambulatory patients with COVID-19.Methods: A prospective, 2-arm, parallel group, randomized, open-label, phase I-II clinical trial included 39 patients in the control group (usual medical care alone) and 45 patients in the experimental group (usual medical care + intravenous and/or nebulized electrolyzed saline, with dose escalation). Two aspects were evaluated during the twenty-day follow-up: i) the number of patients with disease progression (hospitalization or death); and ii) the Patient Acceptable Symptom State (PASS), a single-question outcome that determines patient well-being thresholds for pain and function. Biochemical and hematologic parameters, as well as adverse effects, were evaluated in the experimental group. Results: The experimental treatment decreased the risk for hospitalization by 92% (adjusted RR=0.08, 95% CI: 0.01-0.50, P=0.007), with a 43-fold increase in the probability of achieving an acceptable symptom state on day 5 (adjusted RR= 42.96, 95% CI: 9.22-200.0, P<0.001). Intravenous + nebulized administration was better than nebulized administration alone, but nebulized administration was better than usual medical care alone. Clinical improvement correlated with a decrease in C-reactive protein, and aberrant monocytes and an increase of lymphocytes, and platelets. Cortisol and testosterone levels were also evaluated, observing a decrease in cortisol levels and an increment of testosterone-cortisol ratio, on days 2 and 4. Conclusions: The experimental treatment produced no serious adverse effects. In conclusion, intravenous and/or nebulized neutral electrolyzed saline importantly reduced the symptomatology and risk of progression (hospitalization and death), in ambulatory patients with COVID-19.Trial registration: Cuban Public Registry of Clinical Trials (RPCEC) Database RPCEC00000309. Registered: 05. May 2020. https://rpcec.sld.cu/en/trials/RPCEC00000309-En