Hospital-Based Quasi-Experimental Study on Hydroxychloroquine Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for COVID-19 in Healthcare Providers with Its Potential Side-Effects
Shahrin et al., Hospital-Based Quasi-Experimental Study on Hydroxychloroquine Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for COVID-19 in.., Life, doi:10.3390/life12122047
Retrospective 230 low risk healthcare workers taking HCQ prophylaxis, and 106 that declined, showing higher cases without statistical significance. No case severity information is provided. The point estimate favored HCQ when excluding the first 14 days and including participants that worked for at least 16 days. Authors note a significant dose response relationship.
risk of case, 87.8% higher, RR 1.88, p = 0.09, treatment 43 of 230 (18.7%), control 11 of 106 (10.4%), adjusted per study, odds ratio converted to relative risk, multivariable.
risk of case, 8.0% lower, OR 0.92, p = 0.89, adjusted per study, excluding the first 14 days and including participants that worked for at least 16 days, multivariable, RR approximated with OR.
Abstract: life
Article
Hospital-Based Quasi-Experimental Study on
Hydroxychloroquine Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for COVID-19
in Healthcare Providers with Its Potential Side-Effects
Lubaba Shahrin 1,2, * , Mustafa Mahfuz 2 , Md. Waliur Rahman 2 , Md. Rezaul Hossain 3 ,
Afsana Mim Khandaker 4 , Md. Ashraful Alam 2 , Din M. M. F. Osmany 5 , Md. Munirul Islam 2 ,
Mohammod Jobayer Chisti 1,2 , Chaudhury Meshkat Ahmed 5 and Tahmeed Ahmed 2
1
2
3
4
5
*
Citation: Shahrin, L.; Mahfuz, M.;
Rahman, M.W.; Hossain, M.R.;
Khandaker, A.M.; Alam, M.A.;
Osmany, D.M.M.F.; Islam, M.M.;
Chisti, M.J.; Ahmed, C.M.; et al.
Hospital-Based Quasi-Experimental
Study on Hydroxychloroquine
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for
COVID-19 in Healthcare Providers
with Its Potential Side-Effects. Life
2022, 12, 2047. https://doi.org/
10.3390/life12122047
Academic Editor: Simona Zaami
Received: 22 October 2022
Accepted: 30 November 2022
Published: 7 December 2022
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral
with regard to jurisdictional claims in
Dhaka Hospital, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr, b),
Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
Nutrition and Clinical Services Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research,
Bangladesh (icddr, b), Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Department of Nutrition, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
Department of Cardiology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
Correspondence: lubabashahrin@icddrb.org; Tel.: +880-2-8860523-32 (ext. 2303);
Fax: +880-2-882-3116 or +880-2-988-5657
Abstract: Considering that it has been more than 24 months since SARS-CoV-2 emerged, it is crucial
to identify measures that prevent and control pathogen transmission in workplace settings. Our aim
was to report results of a hospital-based program that delivered hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) tablets
as COVID-19 prophylaxis to the frontline healthcare workers (HCW)s who cared for COVID-19
patients and to evaluate the efficacy of HCQ. Setting and participants: Quasi-experimental, controlled,
single-center study. The included participants were doctors, nurses, health workers, cleaning staff,
and non-healthcare supportive staff. The main outcome was contracting COVID-19 anytime during
the period of taking the prophylaxis, confirmed by RT-PCR. A total of 336 participants, without
any clinical evidence of COVID-19 and without any known contact with family members, were
included in the trial; 230 were assigned to HCQ and 106 declined to take any drug. Results: Among
the participants, 43 (18.7%) in the HCQ group and 11 (10.4%) participants in the control group
developed COVID-19. For the evaluation of side effects, we evaluated 12-lead ECGs of both groups
at the baseline and after 4 weeks to monitor QTc interval. A total of 91% (198 of 217) participants
in the prophylaxis group and 92% (11 of 12) in the control group had a QTc < 45o msec, which
is within normal limits. Conclusions: Although the number of symptomatic infections in health
personnel was lower in the control group, the difference was not statistically significant. However,
in the absence of any effective pre-exposure prophylaxis medicine for COVID-19, practicing proper
infection prevention and control (IPC) and vaccination is the only way forward.
Keywords: hydroxychloroquine; COVID-19; preexposure prophylaxis; corrected QT interval; healthcare
workers
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