#16,149
In March of 2020, in The French MOH Warning Over Anti-inflammatory Drugs For COVID-19, we looked at a warning from France's Health Minister on the risk of complications from taking NSAIDs and other anti-inflammatory drugs for COVID-19.Six weeks later, the WHO released a preliminary Scientific Brief on NSAIDs and COVID-19, and while the data was limited, they could find no evidence of severe adverse events as a result of the use of NSAIDs in COVID-19 patients.
Also, in general, fever is our body's natural way of combating a viral infection. By taking antipyretics of any type, we not only produce a host environment conducive to better viral replication, it can allow someone who is still contagious to feel good enough go to work, or school, and further spread the virus.
After the initial concerns were largely dismissed, the use of NSAIDs (or preferably) Acetaminophen (aka paracetamol) to control fever and body aches following COVID vaccination, or to reduce some of the symptoms of infection, has been generally green-lighted by public health entities (but ask your doctor first, of course).
Today we have a retrospective study - published by researchers at the MRC Toxicology Unit at Cambridge University - that finds a statistically significant, but modest (6.6%) reduction in COVID infection risk among those taking paracetamol (acetaminophen).
While a significant link to lowered COVID infection was not demonstrated with Ibuprofen, no increase in infection risk was found, either.
This is all fairly preliminary - and there are always risks when taking any medicine - but for those who regularly take acetaminophen (or Ibuprofen) for arthritis, or other body aches, this study might provide some reassurance during this COVID pandemic.
You'll want to follow the link to read the study in full, as I've only reproduced the Abstract and Conclusion below.
Paracetamol Is Associated with a Lower Risk of COVID-19 Infection and Decreased ACE2 Protein Expression: A Retrospective Analysis
Nuno Santos Leal †,Yizhou Yu †, Yuwen Chen,Giorgio Fedele and Luís Miguel Martins *
MRC Toxicology Unit, Gleeson Building, Tennis Court Road, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK
Abstract
Ibuprofen is a common over-the-counter drug taken for pain relief. However, recent studies have raised concerns about its potential toxic effect with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It has been proposed that ibuprofen may increase levels of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the human receptor for SARS-CoV-2 infection.Therefore, paracetamol is suggested as an alternative to ibuprofen for treating COVID-19 symptoms. Nevertheless, the relationship between intake of paracetamol or ibuprofen and either susceptibility to infection by SARS-CoV-2 or modulation of cellular ACE2 levels remains unclear.
In this study, we combined data from human medical records and cells in culture to explore the role of the intake of these drugs in COVID-19. Although ibuprofen did not influence COVID-19 infectivity or ACE2 levels, paracetamol intake was associated with a lower occurrence of COVID-19 in our cohort. We also found that paracetamol led to decreased ACE2 protein levels in cultured cells.
Our work identifies a putative protective effect of paracetamol against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Future work should explore the molecular mechanisms underlying the relationship between paracetamol and COVID-19.
(SNIP)
5. Conclusions
In this study, we showed that paracetamol is associated with a lower risk of COVID-19 infectivity and a decrease in ACE2 protein levels, while we found no association between ibuprofen and COVID-19 infection.
