Lopinavir/ritonavir is associated with pneumonia resolution in COVID‐19 patients with influenza coinfection: a retrospective matched‐pair cohort study

Yu, Chong; Zhang, Zhiguo; Guo, Yujiao; Shi, Jing; Pei, Guangchang; Yao, Ying; Liao, Wenhui; Zeng, Rui

BACKGROUND: During the early stages of the pandemic, some coronavirus disease (COVID‐19)patients were misdiagnosed as having influenza, which aroused the concern that some deaths attributed to influenza were actually COVID‐19‐related. Howerver, little is known about whether coinfection with influenza contributes to severity of COVID‐19 pneumonia, and the optimal therapeutic strategy for these patients. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 128 hospitalized patients with COVID‐19 pneumonia. All patients were positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2)positive by nucleic acid detection. 64 cases were co‐infected with influenza A/B and the other 64 were influenza negative, matched by age, sex, and days from onset of symptoms. RESULTS: Among the 64 co‐infected patients, 54 (84.4%) were co‐infected with influenza A, and 10 (15.6%) with influenza B. The median duration of viral shedding time from admission was longer for patients with influenza coinfection (17.0 days) than for those without influenza coinfection (12.0 days) (P<0.001). The multivariable Cox proportional hazards model showed that the hazard ratio HR of resolution in lung involvement was 1.878 (P=0.020) for patients administered lopinavir/ritonavir, compared with those not administered lopinavir/ritonavir (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.103, 3.196). Among influenza co‐infected patients, those treated with lopinavir/ritonavir exhibited faster pneumonia resolution within two weeks after symptom onset (37% vs 1%, P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: There was no difference in lung involvement between influenza co‐infected and non‐infected groups. Lopinavir/ritonavir eliminated the difference of lung involvement between influenza co‐infected and non‐infected groups, indicating that lopinavir/ritonavir is associated with pneumonia resolution in COVID‐19. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.