COVID-19 recovery measures and use of medications among COVID-19 patients at home: A cross- sectional study in Bangladesh

Abstract

Background The COVID-19 is the greatest catastrophe of the 21st century that ravaged health, economy, and everyday life. Over 90% of the infected individuals in Bangladesh took home treatments following various approaches and consuming different medications. The study aims to identify the recovery measures and the medications used by COVID-19 patients at home. Methods An online-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted between 5 October 2020 and 5 January 2021 among the COVID-19 patients who did not seek care from hospitals and recovered at home. Participants from all the administrative divisions of Bangladesh were recruited via social media. After obtaining consent, subjects were enrolled to complete the questionnaire that included questions on demographic characteristics, clinical itinerary, non-pharmacological and pharmacological approaches. Results Of the 241 respondents, the majority were males (64.3%), aged 21-30 years (42.3%), and urban residents (65.6%). Fever (92.5%), cough (78.4%), and sore throat (62.7%) were the most common symptoms. Hypertension (17.3%), allergic rhinitis (15.3%), and asthma (15.3%) were the most prevalent pre-existing chronic conditions. Most of the respondents adopted some non-pharmacological approaches, such as inhaling steam/gargling warm water (75.1%), drinking any hot drink (85.9%), and consuming vegetables and fruits (67.6%) daily. Among the medicines consumed, paracetamol was the highest (97.1%), followed by antihistamines (77.6%) and antibiotics (61.4%) while corticosteroid, antiparasitic and antiviral drugs were less consumed drugs. Binary logistic regression found, living in the urban area, level of education and pre-existing diabetes were significant factors that impact recovery time from the COVID-19. Conclusions Most of the individuals experienced mild to moderate symptoms and used non-pharmacological approaches, while over-the-counter drugs were the most consumed medicines. Though these measures did not contribute significantly to recovery time, these can be used as a form of home management in the early stage to reduce the disease severity and may be effective for mild and moderate patients.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Toward Coronavirus Disease (COVID- 19) in Southeast and South Asia: A Mixed Study Design Approach

“…The WHO suggested various strategies and measures such as social distancing, using sanitizers and wearing masks, regular hand washing, avoid visiting crowded places and lockdowns to control the spread of the disease (11)(12)(13). Mass vaccination has also been applied widely to beat the deadly pandemic, and the hesitancy in populations have raised severe concerns (14)(15)(16)(17)(18). Although, the lockdowns decision was not easy for the developing counties as it affected people and countries' economic performance very badly.…”