Does Lithium Deserve a Place in the Treatment Against COVID-19? A Preliminary Observational Study in Six Patients, Case Report

Does Lithium Deserve a Place in the Treatment Against COVID-19? A Preliminary Observational Study in Six Patients, Case Report

Carlos Spuch, Marta López-García, Tania Rivera-Baltanás, Daniela Rodrígues-Amorím, José M. Olivares, José M. Olivares

Lithium has shown the capacity to: a) inhibit the replication of several types of viruses, some of which are similar to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, b) increase the immune response by reducing lymphopenia, and c) reduce inflammation by preventing or reducing the cytokine storm. In the present study, we have treated six patients with severe COVID-19 infection with lithium carbonate. We found that lithium carbonate significantly reduced plasma reactive C-Protein levels, increased lymphocyte numbers and decreased the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, improving both inflammatory activity and the immune response in these patients. We propose that lithium carbonate may deserve a place in the treatment against COVID-19.

2020

inflammation, covid-19, SARS-CoV-2, Case report, Lithium carbonate

10.3389/fphar.2020.557629

Epidemiology and Health

Korean Society of Epidemiology

Therapeutics. Pharmacology