Currently, many people infected with the new coronavirus are accompanied by fever and other symptoms. Is it true that taking antipyretics ibuprofen may lead to death? How should patients use medications rationally? The National Health Commission invited Zhang Bo, director of the Pharmacy Department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, to give an authoritative interpretation.
Ibuprofen reported online may cause death?
experts: It will not cause aggravation of infection or death
"Fever" is a relatively common symptom for people infected with the new coronavirus. Zhang Bo, director of the Pharmacy Department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, said that when the patient's temperature is higher than 38.5°C, antipyretic and analgesic drugs can be used to relieve symptoms. The two antipyretic and analgesic drugs commonly used by the public are "ibuprofen" and " acetaminophen ". As symptomatic treatment drugs, their antipyretic and analgesic effects are fast and effective.
Zhang Bo: Generally speaking, after we control the fever and pain in one to two days, we can stop taking the medicine. This medicine does not need to be used for a long time. Just choose one antipyretic and analgesic. It is not recommended to use multiple antipyretic and analgesic. Because many antipyretic and analgesic contain the same or similar ingredients, it will lead to drug overdose.
Recently, the antipyretic drug "ibuprofen" has been pushed to the forefront of public opinion. An international journal shows that taking ibuprofen may cause death. Is this news true? Zhang Bo responded that this article was published in March 2020. The author speculated that ibuprofen would increase the level of angiotensin-converting enzyme, which is related to COVID-19 infection. Based on this, the author speculated that ibuprofen may cause the severity of COVID-19 to worsen or cause death.
Zhang Bo: Countries around the world, including the World Health Organization , have also organized relevant experts to conduct demonstrations and believe that ibuprofen is safe and effective in treating symptoms caused by the new coronavirus. A series of subsequent studies, including the large-scale cohort study and , also confirmed that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs including ibuprofen will not cause the new coronavirus infection to worsen or lead to death. Ibuprofen is used as an antipyretic and analgesic drug in various countries around the world.
Can using antibiotics in advance prevent infection and serious illness?
expert: Antibiotics are ineffective in treating viral infections
In some counties and towns, people hope to recover quickly after being infected with the new coronavirus, and individual clinics will choose to use a combination of antiviral and antibiotics. So, is it necessary to use antibiotics in advance, and can it play a role in preventing infection and serious illness? Zhang Bo said that the new coronavirus is a viral infection, and antibiotics are ineffective in treating infections caused by this virus .
Zhang Bo said, "In clinical practice, we will find that some patients are complicated by bacterial infections, or secondary bacterial infections caused by COVID-19. In this case, we can choose antibiotics or antibacterial drugs. Of course, this must be strictly evaluated, including routine blood tests, images Learn to check , etc., and then choose antibacterial drugs. I do not recommend using antibacterial drugs as a preventive or main treatment for COVID-19. "
How should patients use drugs rationally?
expert: Oral medication is preferred for mild patients
For patients infected with the new coronavirus, what kind of medication is more reasonable and scientific? Zhang Bo introduced that there are many ways of drug administration, including oral administration, injection administration, etc. The general principle of is "If you can take it orally, don't give it intramuscular injection; if you can give it intramuscular injection, don't give it an infusion." For symptomatic treatment of mild patients, oral administration is preferred.
Zhang Bo: For some outpatient or mild patients, such as antipyretics or analgesia, oral medications can be used to control the disease. For severe acute patients, comatose patients or hospitalized patients, we only consider intravenous infusion when their condition is critical, which can quickly relieve the condition of critically ill patients.Infusion also brings some risks. Infusion is a medical option when we use it to rescue critically ill patients.
Source: Voice of China WeChat public account