The use of IV vitamin C for patients with COVID-19: a case series

Hiedra, Raul; Lo, Kevin Bryan; Elbashabsheh, Mohammad; Gul, Fahad; Wright, Robert Matthew; Albano, Jeri; Azmaiparashvili, Zurab; Patarroyo Aponte, Gabriel

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected almost 2.5 million people worldwide with almost 170,000 deaths reported to date. So far, there is scarce evidence for the current treatment options available for COVID-19. Vitamin C has previously been used for treatment of severe sepsis and septic shock. We reviewed the feasibility of using vitamin C in the setting of COVID-19 in a series of patients. METHODS: We sequentially identified a series of patients who were requiring at least 30% of FiO2 or more who received IV vitamin C as part of the COVID-19 treatment and analyzed their demographic and clinical characteristics. We compared inflammatory markers pre and post treatment including D-dimer and ferritin. RESULTS: We identified a total of 17 patients who received IV vitamin C for COVID-19. The inpatient mortality rate in this series was 12% with 17.6% rates of intubation and mechanical ventilation. We noted a significant decrease in inflammatory markers, including ferritin and D-dimer, and a trend to decreasing FiO2 requirements, after vitamin C administration. CONCLUSION: The use of IV vitamin C in patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 disease may be feasible.