The following is a summary of “Mitigating the risks of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) with intranasal chlorpheniramine: perspectives from the ACCROS studies,” published in the November 2024 issue of Infectious Disease by Valerio-Pascua et al.
The WHO’s declaration of the end of the COVID-19 global health emergency in May 2023 did not diminish the ongoing concerns surrounding the long-term consequences of the virus, including post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) and long-term COVID-19, which were associated with a wide range of symptoms.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine the effect of intranasal chlorpheniramine (iCPM) in reducing SARS-CoV-2 viral burden and decreasing COVID-19 progression and severity, as demonstrated in the Accelerating COVID-19 Clinical Recovery in an Outpatient Setting (ACROSS)-I & III randomized control trials (RCT).
They included 259 participants from the ACROSS I and III RCTs to compare the effects of iCPM vs placebo on reducing PASC symptoms. A 17-item PASC questionnaire was used to assess common symptoms. The statistical analysis involved T-tests for continuous data and Pearson chi-square tests for categorical data, performed using STATA 17.0 Basic Edition software.
The results showed that the iCPM cohort had a significantly lower proportion of individuals experiencing fatigue or tiredness compared to the placebo group (0 vs 17, 21, P < 0.001). Additionally, fewer patients in the iCPM group reported difficulty concentrating or mental confusion (0 vs 22, 27, P < 0.001). The iCPM also showed fewer individuals with difficulty performing daily activities or work compared to the placebo group (1 vs 38, 48, P < 0.001). Furthermore, fewer patients in the iCPM group sought medical attention for PASC symptoms compared to the placebo group (0 vs 48, 68, P < 0.001).
Investigators concluded the iCPM demonstrated potential in mitigating the progression of COVID-19 to PASC, with a strong association between ICPM use and reduced PASC symptom prevalence.
Source: bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-024-10211-8
