Acetic acid disinfection as a potential adjunctive therapy for non-severe COVID-19

• Published in: European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology Vol. 277; no. 10; pp. 2921 - 2924
• Main Authors: Pianta, L., Vinciguerra, A., Bertazzoni, G., Morello, R., Mangiatordi, F., Lund, V. J., Trimarchi, M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-10-2020
• Subjects: Acetic Acid - therapeutic use; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Betacoronavirus; Coronavirus Infections - drug therapy; COVID-19; Disinfection; Female; Head and Neck Surgery; Humans; Hydroxychloroquine - therapeutic use; Lopinavir - therapeutic use; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Neurosurgery; Otorhinolaryngology; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral - drug therapy; Ritonavir - therapeutic use; SARS-CoV-2; Short Communication; COVID-19; Acid acetic; Disinfection; Coronavirus
• ISSN: 0937-4477; 1434-4726
• DOI: 10.1007/s00405-020-06067-8

Purpose
SARS-CoV-2 is a new pandemic influenza caused by a coronavirus which main route of transmission is through exhaled droplets that primarily infect the nose and the nasopharynx. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the effect of acetic acid, the active component of vinegar, as a potential disinfectant agent for upper airways.
Methods
Twenty-nine patients were enrolled and divided into two groups: group 1 (14 patients) was composed of patients treated with off-label hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir, whereas group 2 (15 patients) was composed of patients treated with hydroxychloroquine only, combined with the inhalation of acetic acid disinfectant at a 0.34% concentration. A questionnaire-based evaluation of symptoms was performed after 15 days in both groups.
Results
It appears that the number of patients treated with acetic acid (group 2) that experienced improvement in individual symptoms was double that of the other group of patients (group 1), although numbers are too small for robust statistical analysis.
Conclusions
Considering its potential benefits and high availability, acetic acid disinfection appears to be a promising adjunctive therapy in cases of non-severe COVID-19 and deserves further investigation.