Hydrogen and Nitric Oxide Combo Helps Long COVID Patients Breathe Better

Summary by Hydrogen Studies Editorial Team · Updated

Authors
Journal
Terapevticheskii Arkhiv
Year
DOI
10.26442/00403660.2026.03.203537
Study Type
Human
Outcome
Positive
Peer Reviewed
Yes
Country
Russia
Health Condition
Post-COVID-19 Syndrome
Body System
Respiratory

TL;DR

Combined nitric oxide and hydrogen inhalation improved symptoms, exercise capacity, and oxidative stress more than nitric oxide alone in post-COVID patients, with no serious adverse events.

Key Finding

Patients who inhaled a combination of nitric oxide and molecular hydrogen showed greater improvements in breathing difficulty, exercise tolerance, and quality of life compared to those receiving nitric oxide alone or no treatment.

Summary

This study tested whether breathing a combination of two medical gases—nitric oxide and molecular hydrogen—could help 60 patients recover from breathing problems and fatigue related to long-COVID. Over 10 days, patients either received both gases together, nitric oxide alone, or no treatment. The combination therapy group showed the most improvement in shortness of breath, cough, fatigue, and ability to walk, plus better blood flow and less cellular damage compared to the other groups.

Practical Takeaway

While this small human study suggests combined inhaled nitric oxide and hydrogen therapy may help with post-COVID respiratory symptoms, the research is limited by its small size (60 patients) and short duration (10 days). More extensive studies would be needed to confirm whether this approach could be a practical treatment option for long-COVID patients.

Abstract (excerpt)

Background. Medical gases, inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) and molecular hydrogen (iH2), have been used in the therapy for various medical conditions. When combined, these gases have shown to be more effective and safer for patients, and may become a promising treatment option for various diseases…

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