RESUMEN
AIM: In this study, we aimed to investigate the effectiveness of ozone therapy, which is one of the integrative medicine applications that has been used safely for many years, on the prevalence of mortality in patients receiving COVID-19 treatment. METHODS: This was a prospective, controlled study conducted on patients with COVID-19 who were hospitalised. In this study, 55 patients were included. The patients were divided into two groups as the ozone and control group. Ozone therapy (major autohemotherapy) was applied to 37 patients who were being treated with the appropriate COVID-19 treatment protocol determined by the infectious diseases committee of our hospital. The ozone treatment protocol consisted of seven sessions (one session per day) of intravenous ozone administration, applied in a volume of 100 mL and a concentration of 30 µg/mL. Only the conventional COVID-19 treatment protocol was applied to 18 patients in the control group. Clinical follow-up was performed until the discharge of the patients from the hospital with successful treatment or until the mortality occurred. Factors affecting mortality were analysed using univariate regression analysis. RESULTS: Intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalisation was required in 6 of the 37 patients who were treated with ozone (16.2%), while 4 of 18 patients in the control group required ICU treatment (22.2%) (P = .713). When the mortality rates between the two groups were compared, mortality was lower in the ozone group (P = .032). As a result of univariate logistic regression analysis performed to investigate the factors affecting mortality, treatment with ozone therapy was determined as a risk factor for mortality. Patients receiving ozone therapy appear to have a lower mortality risk (odds ratio [OR]: 0.149, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.026-0.863, P = .034). CONCLUSION: In this study, the findings suggested that the administration of ozone therapy along with the conventional medical treatment in patients hospitalised for COVID-19 could reduce mortality.