The Effects of Colchicine Treatment on Cardiac and Inflammatory Markers in COVID-19 Patients Followed Up in Intensive Care Unit.

Objective: It has been stated that colchicine can reduce the cytokine storm and inflammation in cardiac myocytes during COVID-19 infection. This study aims to investigate the effect of colchicine treatment on cardiac and inflammatory markers in COVID-19 patients followed in the intensive care Unit (ICU) of a tertiary center. Materials and Methods: Patients followed up in the ICU with the diagnosis of COVID-19 between April 2020 and June 2020 were evaluated retrospectively. Patients who received standard treatment in moderate-to-severe COVID-19 patients were analyzed by classifying them as the control group and patients who were added to the standard treatment within the first 48 h as the colchicine group. Results: A total of 79 patients, 39 in the colchicine group and 40 in the control group, were included in the study. Demographic data and the presence of comorbid disease were similar between groups. The mean length of stay in the ICU was 19.4±8 days in the colchicine group and 14.7±7 days in the control group. The length of stay in the ICU was found to be significantly higher in the colchicine group (p=0.017). There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of C-reactive protein, Interleukin-6, troponin T and D-dimer levels, and 28-day mortality (94.9% vs. 95%, p>0.05). Conclusion: Adding oral colchicine to the standard treatment within the first 48 h after hospitalization in moderate-to-severe COVID-19 patients followed in the ICU did not improve the clinical status of the patients. It did not reduce cardiac and inflammatory markers and mortality rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]