Medical Journal of the Islamic Republic Of Iran

en Investigating the Effectiveness of Melatonin in the Treatment of Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19 Hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit: A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial Internal Medicine Internal Medicine Original Research Original Research     Background: Melatonin, a tryptophan product, has anti-inflammatory and virucidal effects. A study evaluated whether melatonin is more effective than placebo in critically ill COVID-19 patients.    Methods: The present study used a double-blind, randomized clinical trial in patients with COVID-19 hospitalized in the intensive care unit of Rasool Akram Hospital, Tehran. Iran. Melatonin 10 mg and placebo were given to the patients at night before bed. Patients were randomly divided into 2 groups. The first group was given melatonin with a therapeutic dose of 10 mg daily, and the second group was given a placebo with the same dose of 10 mg daily. Patients received melatonin or placebo for 7 days. The chi-square or Fisher exact test was used to compare qualitative variables. The study analyzed the mean of the variables under investigation by conducting a 2-factor repeated measures analysis of variance at 3 different time intervals in those administered medication or placebo.    Results: The study analyzed 44 melatonin patients and 42 placebo groups. The mean intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalization days were 11.23 ± 4.73 days in the melatonin group and 11.90 ± 6.52 days in the placebo group (P = 0.582). The mean days of hospitalization in the melatonin group were 19.70 ± 8.77 days and 21.48 ± 10.85 days in the placebo group (P = 0.407). The mean oxygen saturation before and after discharge from ICU in the melatonin group was 81 ± 6.73%, 91.02 ± 1.17%, and in the placebo group, 83.36 ± 8.27%, 91.21 ± 1.26, respectively (P = 0.467 and P = 0.150)    Conclusion: Melatonin can significantly reduce inflammation and oxidative stress markers in patients, making it a promising therapeutic option for COVID-19 patients. Further research is needed to determine the optimal treatment dosage and duration. Nonetheless, these results offer a promising avenue for future research and clinical practice.   Melatonin, COVID-19, Intensive Care Unit 270 274 http://mjiri.iums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-8316-2&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Atefe Tirkan atefetirkan@yahoo.com 200319475328460088961 200319475328460088961 No Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Hazrat-e Rasool Medical complex, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Delaram Eskandari Eskandari.d@iums.ir 200319475328460088962 200319475328460088962 No Department of Endocrinology, School of Medicine, Hazrat-e Rasool Medical complex, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Maryam Roham Roham.m@iums.ac.ir 200319475328460088963 200319475328460088963 No Department of Infectious Disease, School of Medicine, Antimicrobial Resistance Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Oldooz Aloosh Aloosh.o@iums.ac.ir 200319475328460088964 200319475328460088964 No Department of Pulmonary Medicine, School of Medicine, Hazrat-e Rasool Medical Complex, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Tayeb Ramim tayebramim@yahoo.com 200319475328460088965 200319475328460088965 No Department of Health Information Management, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Hale Afshar Afshar.h@iums.ac.ir 200319475328460088966 200319475328460088966 Yes Department of Pulmonary Medicine, School of Medicine, Hazrat-e Rasool Medical Complex, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran