Time Reveals the Truth! What Treatments for COVID-19 Were Quickly Abandoned, and Which Methods, Contrary to Popular Belief, Are Still Flourishing?

During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, low dose radiation therapy (LDRT) was proposed as a potentially effective treatment method. To minimize potential toxicity, the initial treatment approach involved a few mGy of adapting radiation followed by a single 250 mGy whole lung challenging dose...

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Main Authors: Joseph John Bevelacqua, Abdolkarim Ghadimi Moghadam, Seyed Alireza Mortazavi, Abdollah Jafarzadeh, Masoud Haghani, Azim Kaveh-Ahangar, Ali Ghadimi-Moghadam
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Shiraz University of Medical Sciences 2024-12-01
Series:Journal of Biomedical Physics and Engineering
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Online Access:https://jbpe.sums.ac.ir/article_49285_2903cc775f9b1321464223cc7fc315b3.pdf
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author Joseph John Bevelacqua
Abdolkarim Ghadimi Moghadam
Seyed Alireza Mortazavi
Abdollah Jafarzadeh
Masoud Haghani
Azim Kaveh-Ahangar
Ali Ghadimi-Moghadam
author_facet Joseph John Bevelacqua
Abdolkarim Ghadimi Moghadam
Seyed Alireza Mortazavi
Abdollah Jafarzadeh
Masoud Haghani
Azim Kaveh-Ahangar
Ali Ghadimi-Moghadam
author_sort Joseph John Bevelacqua
collection DOAJ
description During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, low dose radiation therapy (LDRT) was proposed as a potentially effective treatment method. To minimize potential toxicity, the initial treatment approach involved a few mGy of adapting radiation followed by a single 250 mGy whole lung challenging dose. However, antiviral drugs were also introduced as a promising treatment option, which were thought to have the potential to revolutionize the management of the crisis. Despite early warnings, many physicians did not fully consider the key point that, in contrast with LDRT, antiviral drug treatments can result in strong selective pressure on the virus. This can lead to the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, a phenomenon that can have serious global consequences. After more than two years, the truth has been revealed: the WHO Guideline Development Group has advised against the use of remdesivir, a widely used antiviral medication, for COVID-19. Meanwhile, a growing body of evidence suggests that LDRT can be a promising, low-risk approach for avoiding or delaying invasive respiratory support in COVID-19 patients. Although there is substantial supporting documentation, more high-quality, controlled, and randomized double-blind clinical trials are needed to further investigate the efficacy and potential therapeutic mechanisms of LDRT for COVID-19.
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publisher Shiraz University of Medical Sciences
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spelling doaj-art-f1111426c2c047ab8ae671e38a5743d32024-12-22T05:54:36ZengShiraz University of Medical SciencesJournal of Biomedical Physics and Engineering2251-72002024-12-0114659960610.31661/jbpe.v0i0.2206-151449285Time Reveals the Truth! What Treatments for COVID-19 Were Quickly Abandoned, and Which Methods, Contrary to Popular Belief, Are Still Flourishing?Joseph John Bevelacqua0Abdolkarim Ghadimi Moghadam1Seyed Alireza Mortazavi2Abdollah Jafarzadeh3Masoud Haghani4Azim Kaveh-Ahangar5Ali Ghadimi-Moghadam6Bevelacqua Resources, Richland, WA, United StatesPediatric Infectious Ward, Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, IranSchool of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, IranDepartment of Immunology, School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, IranDepartment of Radiology, School of Paramedical Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, IranVice-chancellery for Research, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, IranFaculty of Medicine, Szeged University, Szeged, HungaryDuring the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, low dose radiation therapy (LDRT) was proposed as a potentially effective treatment method. To minimize potential toxicity, the initial treatment approach involved a few mGy of adapting radiation followed by a single 250 mGy whole lung challenging dose. However, antiviral drugs were also introduced as a promising treatment option, which were thought to have the potential to revolutionize the management of the crisis. Despite early warnings, many physicians did not fully consider the key point that, in contrast with LDRT, antiviral drug treatments can result in strong selective pressure on the virus. This can lead to the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, a phenomenon that can have serious global consequences. After more than two years, the truth has been revealed: the WHO Guideline Development Group has advised against the use of remdesivir, a widely used antiviral medication, for COVID-19. Meanwhile, a growing body of evidence suggests that LDRT can be a promising, low-risk approach for avoiding or delaying invasive respiratory support in COVID-19 patients. Although there is substantial supporting documentation, more high-quality, controlled, and randomized double-blind clinical trials are needed to further investigate the efficacy and potential therapeutic mechanisms of LDRT for COVID-19.https://jbpe.sums.ac.ir/article_49285_2903cc775f9b1321464223cc7fc315b3.pdfcovid-19sars-cov-2pneumonialow dose radiationremdesivir
spellingShingle Joseph John Bevelacqua
Abdolkarim Ghadimi Moghadam
Seyed Alireza Mortazavi
Abdollah Jafarzadeh
Masoud Haghani
Azim Kaveh-Ahangar
Ali Ghadimi-Moghadam
Time Reveals the Truth! What Treatments for COVID-19 Were Quickly Abandoned, and Which Methods, Contrary to Popular Belief, Are Still Flourishing?
Journal of Biomedical Physics and Engineering
covid-19
sars-cov-2
pneumonia
low dose radiation
remdesivir
title Time Reveals the Truth! What Treatments for COVID-19 Were Quickly Abandoned, and Which Methods, Contrary to Popular Belief, Are Still Flourishing?
title_full Time Reveals the Truth! What Treatments for COVID-19 Were Quickly Abandoned, and Which Methods, Contrary to Popular Belief, Are Still Flourishing?
title_fullStr Time Reveals the Truth! What Treatments for COVID-19 Were Quickly Abandoned, and Which Methods, Contrary to Popular Belief, Are Still Flourishing?
title_full_unstemmed Time Reveals the Truth! What Treatments for COVID-19 Were Quickly Abandoned, and Which Methods, Contrary to Popular Belief, Are Still Flourishing?
title_short Time Reveals the Truth! What Treatments for COVID-19 Were Quickly Abandoned, and Which Methods, Contrary to Popular Belief, Are Still Flourishing?
title_sort time reveals the truth what treatments for covid 19 were quickly abandoned and which methods contrary to popular belief are still flourishing
topic covid-19
sars-cov-2
pneumonia
low dose radiation
remdesivir
url https://jbpe.sums.ac.ir/article_49285_2903cc775f9b1321464223cc7fc315b3.pdf
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