Epidemiology and Health

COVID-19: Brief Communication

Hydrogen peroxide as an auxiliary treatment for COVID-19 in Brazil: a randomized double-blind clinical trial: Marielle Bazzo Di Domênico, Kauê Collares, Renan Brandenburg dos Santos, Ulysses Lenz, Vinícius Picoli Antunes, Vinicius Webber Godinho, Henrique Cesca, Thales Henrique Jincziwski Ponciano, Pedro Henrique Corazza; Epidemiol Health. 2021;43:e2021051. Published online August 3, 2021; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2021051

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Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This study evaluated the effectiveness of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) as mouthwash and nasal spray on symptom relief in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.

METHODS

Patients positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), who were treated in a hospital or at home, and patients’ family members (not positive for SARS-CoV-2), were randomized into 2 groups: experimental (1% H₂O₂ for gargling, 0.5% H₂O₂ for nasal wash), and control. Patients gargled the solution 3 times a day, and applied the nasal spray twice a day, for a 7-day period. Family members received the same treatment as the treated COVID-19 patient. The researchers contacted patients every 2 days over an 8-day period. An average post-treatment interval of 8 days passed before testing family members.

RESULTS

The most frequent symptoms on day 0 were cough, loss of taste, and hyposmia; there were no significant differences between groups, independent of the period. The symptom of dyspnea presented a significant difference between days 2 and 4 (p<0.05). Among family members, 86.0% had no antibodies, 2.3% had antibodies, and 11.6% had active infections (4 in the experimental group and 6 in the control group). The most frequent adverse effects in the H₂O₂ group were a burning throat and nose.

CONCLUSIONS

H₂O₂ was not effective for the relief of COVID-19 symptoms and was associated with reports of transient adverse effects.

Summary

Korean summary

Key Message
The hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) at low concentrations disrupts the lipid membranes of some viruses through the action of oxygen free radicals. Nevertheless, the data obtained in the present study demonstrated that the use of the H2O2 as mouthwash and nasal spray was not effective on symptom relief in patients with COVID-19. Moreover, it was associated with transient adverse effects such as burning sensations in the nose and throat. Thus, the authors of this study advise against the use of H2O2 as a mouthwash and nasal spray to relieve COVID-19 symptoms and transmission.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Efficacy of Mouth Rinses and Nasal Spray in the Inactivation of SARS-CoV-2: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of In Vitro and In Vivo Studies
Majdy Idrees, Bridget McGowan, Amr Fawzy, Abdulwahab Ali Abuderman, Ramesh Balasubramaniam, Omar Kujan
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2022; 19(19): 12148. CrossRef
Enhanced Nasal Deposition and Anti-Coronavirus Effect of Favipiravir-Loaded Mucoadhesive Chitosan–Alginate Nanoparticles
Khent Primo Alcantara, Nonthaneth Nalinratana, Nopporn Chutiwitoonchai, Agnes L. Castillo, Wijit Banlunara, Opa Vajragupta, Pornchai Rojsitthisak, Pranee Rojsitthisak
Pharmaceutics.2022; 14(12): 2680. CrossRef

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