High-doses vitamin C improves cardiac injury through attenuating
hyperinflammation in COVID-19
Abstract
Background: Cardiac injury is common and associated with worse clinical
outcomes in COVID-19. Data are lacking whether high-dose intravenous
vitamin C (HIVC) could help to improve cardiac injury in the pandemic.
Methods: The study included severe and critically ill COVID-19 with
cardiac injury. Troponin I and inflammatory markers were collected at
admission and 14 days after treatment with HIVC along with symptomatic
supportive treatment from the electronic medical records. Results: The
patients (n = 113) were categorized into the improved cardiac injury
(ICI) group (n = 70) and the non-improved cardiac injury (NICI) group (n
= 43). Overall, 51 (45.1%) patients were administrated with HIVC, the
percentages of patients with HIVC were higher in the ICI group than
those in the NICI group. Logistic regression analysis revealed that HIVC
was independently associated with improved cardiac injury. Further
analysis showed that inflammatory markers levels significantly decreased
at 14 days after treatment with HIVC compared to those without HIVC.
Meanwhile, similar results were also observed regarding changes in
inflammatory markers levels from baseline to 14 days after treatment
with HIVC. Conclusions: HIVC can improve cardiac injury through
attenuating hyperinflammation in severe and critically ill patients with
COVID-19.