RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Prior vaccination is often studied for its impact on individuals' post-infection prognosis. Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) medicines, advised by the Government of India as prophylaxis during the first wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, were consumed by the masses in 2020. A study was therefore undertaken to observe any association between the prior usage of AYUSH prophylactic medicines and post-infection severity as reported by recovered COVID-19 individuals. METHODS: This was a retrospective, multi-centre, cohort study conducted in 21 cities of India from 5th August to 30th November 2020. Data from recovered COVID-19 patients, of either sex or any age, captured information about AYUSH prophylactic medicines intake prior to infection, disease severity, symptomatology, duration of complaints, etc. The study participants were grouped into AYUSH intake and non-intake. Primary composite outcome was the disease clinical course. Secondary clinical outcomes were the rate of and time to clinical recovery. RESULTS: Data of 5,023 persons were analysed. Ayurveda or homeopathic prophylactic medicines were consumed by more than half of the study participants: that is, 56.85% (n = 1,556) and 56.81% (n = 1,555) respectively. The overall adjusted protective effect (PE) of AYUSH prophylactic intake against moderate/severe forms of COVID-19 disease was 56.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 48.7 to 63.50; p < 0.001). Adjusted PE for homeopathy and Siddha was 52.9% (95% CI, 42.30 to 61.50; p < 0.001) and 59.8% (95% CI, 37.80 to 74.10; p < 0.001), respectively. A statistically significant association was found between AYUSH prophylactic medicine intake and clinical recovery more frequently by the 3rd day of illness (χ2 = 9.01; p = 0.002). Time to resolution of symptoms in the AYUSH intake group was on average 0.3 days earlier than in the non-intake group (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: AYUSH prophylactics were associated with statistically significant levels of protection against COVID-19 disease severity. Amongst these, previous intake of homeopathy or Siddha medicines was associated with some protection against moderate/severe illness and with a somewhat quicker clinical recovery. Prospective studies with experimental research design are needed to validate the findings of this study. STUDY REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI/2020/08/027000).
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Even though several initiatives have been undertaken in different locations worldwide to collect clinical data in homeopathy, it is important to further investigate these aspects in the context of health care in India. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to gather and analyze patients' clinical data and to derive insights into homeopathic treatment using an internet-based software program for data storage, retrieval and repertorization. METHODS: A multi-center observational study was conducted across 14 homeopathy outpatient clinics in India that are affiliated with the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH). Patient symptoms and demographic details were documented anonymously, and prescriptions were guided by repertorial suggestions from the Vithoulkas Compass software. During follow-up visits, treatment outcome was also recorded using an online assessment form. A retrospective analysis of data on patients' demographics, follow-up visits, morbidity (International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision), rubrics used, prescribed medicines and the level of improvement was achieved using Microsoft Excel-generated pivot tables. RESULTS: Throughout the study duration of one year a total of 2,811 patients attended the 14 outpatient clinics, of whom 2,468 were new patients with a total of 2,172 initial homeopathic prescription entries. Across the study, there were 3,491 prescriptions and 1,628 follow-up consultations for 868 follow-up patients, all of which data were thoroughly analyzed. The highest frequency of patients was in the 20-49 age group, and a higher proportion of the patients overall was female. Musculoskeletal, dermatological and respiratory complaints were the most frequently reported. The rubrics "Desire for sweets" and "Desire for spices" emerged as the most commonly used in the repertorizations. Further, Sulphur stood out as the most commonly prescribed medicine overall. With homeopathic treatment, some degree of clinical improvement was reported in 86% of the follow-up cases. CONCLUSION: Homeopathy is prescribed in CCRH outpatient clinics for a wide range of ailments in people across India, with at least some clinical improvement noted in a high proportion of those patients. The large-scale systematic data collection in these clinics has provided clear insights into the use and clinical value of homeopathy in India, with the potential to build a substantive nationwide data inventory over time.
