The effect of high-dose of vitamin C on mortality among aged patients with severe COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Critically ill patients are frequently deficient in vitamin C. Given the significant mortality rates in the elderly population associated with COVID-19, we aimed to systematically review the literature and evaluate whether high-dose vitamin C can reduce COVID-19 mortality in this population. METHODS: Multiple data sources (PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and medRxiv) were searched using the keywords "COVID-19" AND "vitamin C" up to November 2024. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving COVID-19 patients with relevant data were collected. We used a random or fixed effects meta-analysis to calculate the pooling effect. RESULTS: = 0.76) suggested no significant difference in mortality rates between patients treated with high-dose vitamin C and those who were not. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin C supplementation might reduce the risk of COVID-19 mortality in critically ill patients; however, this effect varied by study. Additional research is necessary to arrive at a definitive conclusion on this subject.