Integrated medicine approach shortens COVID-19 patients' stay in hospital: study

An integrated medicine approachin treating Coronavirus patients not only shortened their stayin hospital but also helped the infected recover faster,revealed a study by Siddha doctors initiated when the pandemicwas at the peak in Tamil Nadu.

The overall median length of stay was 12 days forthose who were administered zinc, vitamin c tablets, asadvised by the state government and Kabasura Kudineer, aSiddha polyherbal formulation, which was advised by the unionAyush ministry, claims a survival analysis study.

The study was to assess the length of stay of novelcoronavirus (COVID-19) patients under Integrated Medicine -Zinc, Vitamin C and Kabasura Kudineer, carried out by the teamof government Siddha doctors at the Government Medical Collegeand ESI Hospital Coimbatore.

According to Dr Sathya Rajeswaran, Directorin-charge, Siddha Central Research Institute, Chennai, thedata was collected from confirmed COVID-19 cases admitted inGMC & ESI Hospital Coimbatore.

''In our study, no death was reported,'' he said.

The study was carried out on patients admitted fromApril 26, 2020.

Their discharges were taken for analysis upto May 5,2020.

The outcome of the study was published in theEuropean Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine, recently.

Out of 251 COVID positive cases, included in thestudy, 151 had close contact with positive cases, 94 hadtravel history through containment zones like Delhi, and oneperson had a travel history to Kashmir and only the remaining5 were free from travel history.

The duration of hospital stay varied from 1-36 days.

Nearly 5.2 percent of the patients were above 60years, 75.3 percent were aged 20-60 years, and the remaining19.5 percent were 0-20 group.

All the 251 positive cases were admitted to thehospital and of them 141 were male, 83 were female, 12 boys,and 15 were girls, a senior Siddha doctor at the CentralCouncil for Research in Siddha, Chennai, told PTI.

Fever and cough were the main symptoms of thepatients while some displayed respiratory distress and otherswere asymptomatic.

All positive cases who turned negative and weredischarged from hospital were considered for study, Dr SathyaRajeswaran added.PTI JSP BNWELCOME BNWELCOME