At present, many people infected with the new crown virus are accompanied by fever and other symptoms, is it true that taking the fever-reducing drug ibuprofen may cause death? How should patients use medication rationally? The National Health Commission invited Zhang Bo, director of the Department of Pharmacy of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, to give an authoritative interpretation.
Is it rumored online that taking ibuprofen causes death?
Expert: Does not cause worsening of infection or death
"Fever" is a relatively common symptom for people infected with the new coronavirus. Zhang Bo, director of the Department of Pharmacy of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, introduced that when the patient's body temperature is higher than 38.5 °C, antipyretic analgesics can be used to relieve symptoms, and 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, we can stop using one to two days to control the fever and pain, and this medicine does not need to be used for a long time. It is not recommended to use multiple antipyretic analgesics, because many antipyretic analgesics contain the same or similar ingredients, which can lead to drug overdose.
Recently, the antipyretic drug "ibuprofen" has been put on the cusp of public opinion. There are international journals that show that taking ibuprofen may cause death, is this news true? Zhang Bo responded that this article was published in March 2020, and the author speculated that ibuprofen would increase angiotensin-converting enzyme levels, which is related to new crown infection, and the author speculated that ibuprofen may cause severe or death from the new crown.
Zhang Bo: Countries around the world, including the World Health Organization, have also organized relevant experts to demonstrate that ibuprofen is safe and effective in the treatment of symptoms caused by the new crown. A series of subsequent studies, including large-scale cohort studies, also confirmed that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, including ibuprofen, do not cause aggravation of new coronavirus infection or cause death, and ibuprofen is used as an antipyretic and analgesic drug in various countries around the world.
Can early antibiotics prevent infection and severe disease?
Experts: Antibiotics are not effective in treating viral infections
In some counties and townships, people hope to recover quickly after being infected with the new crown virus, and individual clinics will choose 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 severe disease? 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 the clinic, we will find that some patients have bacterial infections, or secondary bacterial infections caused by the new crown, in this case, we can choose antibiotics or antibacterial drugs." Of course, this must be strictly evaluated, including blood routine examination, imaging examination, etc., and then choose antibacterial drugs, I do not recommend antibacterial drugs as new crown treatment prevention or the main treatment of viruses. ”
How should patients use medication rationally?
Specialists: oral administration is preferred in mild patients
For people infected with the new crown virus, what kind of medication is more reasonable and scientific? Zhang Bo introduced that there are many routes of drug administration, including oral administration, injection administration, etc. The general principle is "if it can be taken orally, it will not be injected intramuscularly, and if it can be injected intramuscularly, it will not be infusion". For symptomatic treatment of mild patients, oral administration is preferred.
Zhang Bo: For some outpatient or mild patients, such as antipyretic or analgesic, choosing oral drugs can be controlled. For severe acute patients, comatose patients or hospitalized patients, in critical condition, we consider intravenous infusion, which can quickly alleviate the condition of critically ill patients. Infusion is a medical option we use to rescue critically ill patients.
Source: Voice of China of the Central Radio and Television Corporation