• About
  • Masthead
  • License Content
  • Advertise
  • Submit Press Release
  • RSS/Email List
  • 2MM Podcast
  • Write for us
  • Contact Us
2 Minute Medicine
No Result
View All Result

No products in the cart.

SUBSCRIBE
  • Specialties
    • All Specialties, All Recent Reports
    • Cardiology
    • Chronic Disease
    • Dermatology
    • Emergency
    • Endocrinology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Imaging and Intervention
    • Infectious Disease
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Obstetrics
    • Oncology
    • Ophthalmology
    • Pediatrics
    • Pharma
    • Preclinical
    • Psychiatry
    • Public Health
    • Pulmonology
    • Rheumatology
    • Surgery
  • AI Roundup
  • Pharma
  • The Scan+
  • Classics™+
    • 2MM+ Online Access
    • Paperback and Ebook
  • Rewinds
  • Visual
  • Podcasts
  • Partners
    • License Content
    • Submit Press Release
    • Advertise with Us
  • Account
    • Subscribe
    • Sign-in
    • My account
2 Minute Medicine
  • Specialties
    • All Specialties, All Recent Reports
    • Cardiology
    • Chronic Disease
    • Dermatology
    • Emergency
    • Endocrinology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Imaging and Intervention
    • Infectious Disease
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Obstetrics
    • Oncology
    • Ophthalmology
    • Pediatrics
    • Pharma
    • Preclinical
    • Psychiatry
    • Public Health
    • Pulmonology
    • Rheumatology
    • Surgery
  • AI Roundup
  • Pharma
  • The Scan+
  • Classics™+
    • 2MM+ Online Access
    • Paperback and Ebook
  • Rewinds
  • Visual
  • Podcasts
  • Partners
    • License Content
    • Submit Press Release
    • Advertise with Us
  • Account
    • Subscribe
    • Sign-in
    • My account
SUBSCRIBE
2 Minute Medicine
Subscribe
Home StudyGraphics

#VisualAbstract: Hydroxychloroquine not effective for preventing COVID-19 after contact exposure

byConstance Wu
January 26, 2021
in StudyGraphics
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

1. Postexposure hydroxychloroquine therapy did not prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infection in exposed healthy individuals.

2. Hydroxychloroquine treatment after exposure to a positive case patient was shown not to reduce severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection incidence in exposed individuals.

Evidence Rating Level: 1 (Excellent)

Study Rundown: As coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) continues to cause a public health crisis, a multitude of measures are being pursued to mitigate the outbreak. Along with hand hygiene, face mask, social distancing, and quarantining to slow disease spread, postexposure prophylactic treatment of health individuals is a potential method to control the outbreak. Currently, no therapy is established to be effective in prophylactically preventing Covid-19; however, two aminoquinolines – hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine – are potential treatments. Both therapies have shown antiviral activity through in vitro experimentation. As such, this study investigated the efficacy and safety of hydroxychloroquine in preventing secondary polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed, symptomatic Covid-19 in exposed individuals. The study determined postexposure hydroxychloroquine treatment was not able to prevent symptomatic Covid-19 infections. The randomized control trial was limited by the trial design. The signing of informed consent occurred after randomization, after which, assignments were revealed to the participants. Though participation or lack thereof was not attributed to this method, the use of cluster randomization may have biased study enrollment. Nonetheless, this study’s results are significant, and its findings highlight the ineffectiveness of a treatment potentially used to reduce Covid-19 infection development.

Click to read the study in NEJM

Relevant Reading: A randomized trial of hydroxychloroquine as postexposure prophylaxis for Covid-19

RELATED REPORTS

Worsening kidney function observed following SARS-CoV-2 infection in children

Increased blood–urea–nitrogen-to-albumin ratio associated with increased mortality in coronavirus disease

Use of hydroxychloroquine may be protective for cardiovascular events in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus 

In-Depth [ randomized controlled trial]: This randomized controlled trial enrolled 2,314 participants from three of nine health administrative regions in Catalonia, Spain. Participants included in the study were ≥ 18 years of age, asymptomatic, and had a recent close-contact Covid-19 exposure to a PCR-confirmed case patient. Participants who had Covid-19-like symptoms during the two weeks before enrollment were excluded from this study. The participants were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive hydroxychloroquine or usual care, respectively. The primary outcome was the onset of a PCR-confirmed, symptomatic Covid-19 episode. The participants were followed for 14 days. During the follow-up period, 64 of the 1,116 contacts (5.7%) in the hydroxychloroquine group and 74 of 1,198 contacts (6.2%) in the usual care group had a PCR-confirmed, symptomatic Covid-19 episode (risk ratio, 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.52 to 1.42). Additionally, median Covid-19 onset from exposure was 8.0 days in both groups (hazard ratio, 1.0; 95% CI, 0.6 to 1.6). From the initial negative result of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, there was no significant difference in participants having a positive-PCR result during the study in the hydroxychloroquine group (179 of 958, 18.7%) and the usual care group (185 of 1,042; 17.8%) (risk ratio, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.77 to 1.38). Finally, the most frequent adverse events related to hydroxychloroquine treatment were gastrointestinal, such as diarrhea and nausea, and nervous system, such as drowsiness and headache. Five adverse events of self-limited heart palpitation were reported, which may be attributed to hydroxychloroquine use. Taken together, postexposure hydroxychloroquine therapy was shown not to prevent symptomatic Covid-19 infection or reduce the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

©2021 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. All rights reserved. No works may be reproduced without expressed written consent from 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. Inquire about licensing here. No article should be construed as medical advice and is not intended as such by the authors or by 2 Minute Medicine, Inc.

Tags: CoronavirushydroxychloroquinepostexposureSARS-CoV-2
Previous Post

Sitagliptin may reduce acute graft-versus-host disease following allogeneic stem-cell transplantation

Next Post

Rapid antigen testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection found to have limited accuracy for a pediatric cohort

RelatedReports

Being overweight and obese associated with increased incidence of chronic kidney disease
Chronic Disease

Worsening kidney function observed following SARS-CoV-2 infection in children

May 23, 2025
Novel coronavirus identified from patients with pneumonia in Wuhan, China
Hematology

Increased blood–urea–nitrogen-to-albumin ratio associated with increased mortality in coronavirus disease

February 10, 2025
Cardiology

Use of hydroxychloroquine may be protective for cardiovascular events in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus 

May 19, 2025
Compliance-linked incentives increase infant immunizations rates in rural India
Chronic Disease

Safety of simultaneous vs sequential mRNA COVID-19 and inactivated influenza vaccines

November 17, 2024
Next Post
Large proportion of late preterm infants and older admitted to the NICU

Rapid antigen testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection found to have limited accuracy for a pediatric cohort

Decreased expression of nasal ACE2 may be correlated with lower prevalence of COVID-19 in children

Early high-titer plasma therapy may reduce progression of COVID-19 in older patients

Long-term outcomes for off-pump and on-pump CABG are similar

Omecamtiv mecarbil may be associated with decreased risk of heart-failure events

2 Minute Medicine® is an award winning, physician-run, expert medical media company. Our content is curated, written and edited by practicing health professionals who have clinical and scientific expertise in their field of reporting. Our editorial management team is comprised of highly-trained MD physicians. Join numerous brands, companies, and hospitals who trust our licensed content.

Recent Reports

  • Vaporized nicotine products may be effective for smoking cessation among people with social disadvantage
  • #VisualAbstract: Brain Activation Measured on Functional MRI Predicts Response to Certolizumab, a TNF Inhibitor, in Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • 2 Minute Medicine Rewind July 14, 2025
License Content
Terms of Use | Disclaimer
Cookie Policy
Privacy Statement (EU)
Disclaimer

© 2021 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. - Physician-written medical news.

  • Specialties
    • All Specialties, All Recent Reports
    • Cardiology
    • Chronic Disease
    • Dermatology
    • Emergency
    • Endocrinology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Imaging and Intervention
    • Infectious Disease
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Obstetrics
    • Oncology
    • Ophthalmology
    • Pediatrics
    • Pharma
    • Preclinical
    • Psychiatry
    • Public Health
    • Pulmonology
    • Rheumatology
    • Surgery
  • AI Roundup
  • Pharma
  • The Scan
  • Classics™
    • 2MM+ Online Access
    • Paperback and Ebook
  • Rewinds
  • Visual
  • Podcasts
  • Partners
    • License Content
    • Submit Press Release
    • Advertise with Us
  • Account
    • Subscribe
    • Sign-in
    • My account
No Result
View All Result

© 2021 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. - Physician-written medical news.