COVID-19: Hospital pharmacological treatment according to geographic region in Colombia
Jorge Machado Alba
Abstract
Introduction: The impact of COVID-19 prompted a race to find a treatment that would reduce its mortality. Most studies have not shown favorable results for many of these drugs, but they are still used.
Objective: To determine the differences and similarities in the hospital pharmacological management of patients with COVID-19 according to sex, age group, and geographical region of Colombia, 2020-2021.
Materials and methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study. We identified the prescription patterns of the medications given to patients diagnosed with COVID-19 treated in eight clinics in Colombia between March 6, 2020 and May 31, 2021. We performed a descriptive analysis of the sociodemographic, clinical, and pharmacological variables of the patients.
Results: A total of 8596 patients from 170 cities were identified, with a median age of 53.0 years and 53.3% of them men. A total of 24.3% required care in the intensive care unit, and 18.7% required invasive mechanical ventilation. The most commonly used drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 were systemic corticosteroids (63.6%), followed by colchicine (12.8%), azithromycin (8.9%), and ivermectin (6.4%). Corticosteroids, anticoagulants, colchicine, azithromycin, ivermectin, and hydroxychloroquine were prescribed more frequently in men, and their overall use increased with age. There were differences in prescriptions between geographic regions.
Conclusions: The majority of patients were managed with medications included in the management guidelines. There were differences between sexes, age groups, and geographical regions.
