Drug that Trump called a ‘miracle Covid cure’ is linked to 17,000 deaths - eviltoast
Former president called anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine a ‘miracle cure’

A drug infamously touted by Donald Trump has been linked to nearly 17,000 Covid deaths in a new scientific study.

Researchers say that the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine was prescribed to patients during the first wave of Covid-19 “despite the absence of evidence documenting its clinical benefits.”

The French study estimated that 16,990 patients in the US, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain and Turkey may have died as a result of the drug.

The study has been published in the February issue of Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy.

Researchers say the data used comes from a study published in the Nature scientific journal, which reported that there was an 11 per cent increase in mortality rate linked to the drug’s prescription.

  • mateomaui@reddthat.comEnglish
    51·
    10 months ago

    My understanding is that it was a case-by-case situation that occurred when a ventilator was too forceful for the damage already inflicted, resulting in “ventilator-induced lung injury and barotrauma”, such as when a patient had covid-related pneumonia.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8450704/

    But my understanding could be incorrect.

    edit: to be clear, I feel like the person you responded to isn’t being reasonable, but there is some basis for at least part of it.

    • GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca
      2·
      10 months ago

      That’s a fairly reasonable statement, but what is the best option for a patient with low blood oxygen? Let them struggle and probably die, or put them on a ventilator and may e they die if their lungs are so damaged they can’t inflate fully anymore (which definitely doesn’t indicate poor outcome for any treatment)? And then, if they die once they’ve been put on the ventilator, some people will blame that. It reeks of the, “I never go to hospitals! Do you know how many people die in them?!” mentality.

      • mateomaui@reddthat.comEnglish
        1·
        10 months ago

        They eventually figured out the issue and just lowered the pressure being used, if I recall correctly.

        edit: Otherwise I don’t understand what you’re arguing about here. It was asked why using ventilators could made things worse and I cited the reason that was the basis for the concern in some cases. I wasn’t arguing for or against them, but if you asked that, I’m for them.