Improved quality of life and dyspnea with erdosteine in COVID-19 patients after hospital discharge

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Patients discharged from hospital after COVID-19-associated pneumonia often experience persistent symptoms (e.g., dyspnea, cough, fatigue), which affect their quality of life. Treatments are needed to solve these residual effects of COVID-19 and to help patients in making a full recovery. METHODS: We performed a single center open-label study to assess the impact of the oral mucolytic agent erdosteine (300 mg twice daily) for 30 days on 38 patients discharged from hospital after COVID-19-associated pneumonia who had persistent dyspnea. After discharge, all patients stopped taking all treatment for COVID-19 received during their hospital stay but continued their usual treatment for chronic diseases and they were divided into two groups: the treatment group, which received erdosteine 300 mg twice daily for 30 days and the control group, with no treatment. Patients completed St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) and the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale at time of discharge (Day 0) and on Day 30. The treatment group (n=26) was compared with a control group (n=12). RESULTS: SGRQ and mMRC scores were comparable between the treatment and control groups at hospital discharge. Both scores improved significantly in the treatment group between Day 0 and Day 30, whereas were not significant changes in the control group. At Day 30, significantly more patients in the treatment group than the control group had achieved clinically important changes in HRQoL and symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: In patients hospitalized for COVID-19-associated pneumonia Erdosteine treatment following hospital discharge may help their recovery, improving dyspnea and HRQoL.