Cochrane · systematic review · CD015025
Antibiotics for the treatment of COVID‐19
Popp, M, Stegemann, M, Riemer, M, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2021 · Cochrane Library
HaematologyAMSTAR 2: not assessed
SoF tableOnly the outcomes this review put in its Summary of Findings table are listed (the Cochrane Handbook caps them at about seven per comparison). Its other analyses are not shown here.
Questions
15
current version
GRADE rated
10
No studies
0
Included studies
NR
No studies 0 · 0%Ungraded 5 · 33.3%Very low 1 · 6.7%Low 4 · 26.7%Moderate 4 · 26.7%High 1 · 6.7%
Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.
Questions and results
Azithromycin compared to placebo or standard of care alone for inpatients with confirmed moderate to severe COVID‐19
Population: people with moderate to severe disease (WHO scale 4 to 9)
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
All‐cause mortality at day 28 Azithromycin vs placebo or standard of care alone | RR 0.98 [0.9, 1.06] | 4 studies · 8600 participants | High |
Worsening of clinical status: participants with clinical deterioration (new need for invasive mechanical ventilation) or death at day 28 Azithromycin vs placebo or standard of care alone | RR 0.95 [0.87, 1.03] | 1 study · 7311 participants | Moderate Downgraded: imprecision, indirectness |
Improvement of clinical status: participants discharged alive at day 28 Azithromycin vs placebo or standard of care alone | RR 0.96 [0.84, 1.11] | 3 studies · 8172 participants | Moderate Downgraded: inconsistency |
Quality of life at longest Azithromycin vs placebo or standard of care alone | no estimate extracted | 0 studies · 0 participants | Ungraded |
Serious adverse events during the study period Azithromycin vs placebo or standard of care alone | RR 1.11 [0.89, 1.4] | 4 studies · 794 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, indirectness |
Any adverse events during the study period Azithromycin vs placebo or standard of care alone | RR 1.2 [0.92, 1.57] | 3 studies · 355 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Cardiac arrhythmias during the study period Azithromycin vs placebo or standard of care alone | RR 0.92 [0.73, 1.15] | 4 studies · 7865 participants | Moderate Downgraded: indirectness |
Azithromycin compared to placebo or standard of care alone for outpatients with confirmed asymptomatic or mild COVID‐19
Population: people with mild disease (WHO scale 1 to 3)
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
All‐cause mortality at day 28 Azithromycin vs placebo or standard of care alone | RR 1 [0.06, 15.69] | 3 studies · 876 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Admission to hospital or death within 28 days Azithromycin vs placebo or standard of care alone | RR 0.94 [0.57, 1.56] | 3 studies · 876 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
All initial symptoms resolved (asymptomatic) at day 14 Azithromycin vs placebo or standard of care alone | RR 1.03 [0.95, 1.12] | 1 study · 138 participants | Low Downgraded: imprecision |
Duration to symptom resolution Azithromycin vs placebo or standard of care alone | no estimate extracted | 0 studies · 0 participants | Ungraded |
Quality of life at longest Azithromycin vs placebo or standard of care alone | no estimate extracted | 0 studies · 0 participants | Ungraded |
Any adverse events during the study period Azithromycin vs placebo or standard of care alone | no estimate extracted | 0 studies · 0 participants | Ungraded |
Serious adverse events during the study period Azithromycin vs placebo or standard of care alone | no estimate extracted | 2 studies · 454 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Cardiac arrhythmias during the study period Azithromycin vs placebo or standard of care alone | no estimate extracted | 0 studies · 0 participants | Ungraded |