Quercetin for the treatment of COVID-19 patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

source extracted confidence: high 2026-04-09
#humans #covid-19 #quercetin #hospitalization

Quercetin for the treatment of COVID-19 patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Cheema et al., 2023 | Rev Med Virol | Meta Analysis

Citation

Cheema Huzaifa Ahmad, Sohail Aruba, ... Nashwan Abdulqadir J. Quercetin for the treatment of COVID-19 patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Rev Med Virol. 2023-Mar;33(2):e2427. doi:10.1002/rmv.2427

Abstract

Currently approved therapies for COVID-19 are mostly limited by their low availability, high costs or the requirement of parenteral administration by trained medical personnel in an in-hospital setting. Quercetin is a cheap and easily accessible therapeutic option for COVID-19 patients. However, it has not been evaluated in a systematic review until now. We aimed to conduct a meta-analysis to assess the effect of quercetin on clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Various databases including PubMed, the Cochrane Library and Embase were searched from inception until 5 October 2022 and results from six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were pooled using a random-effects model. All analyses were conducted using RevMan 5.4 with odds ratio (OR) as the effect measure. Quercetin decreased the risk of intensive care unit admission (OR = 0.31; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.10-0.99) and the incidence of hospitalisation (OR = 0.25; 95% CI 0.10-0.62) but did not decrease the risk of all-cause mortality and the rate of no recovery. Quercetin may be of benefit in COVID-19 patients, especially if administered in its phytosome formulation which greatly enhances its bioavailability but large-scale RCTs are needed to confirm these findings.

Key Findings

Quercetin may be of benefit in COVID-19 patients, especially if administered in its phytosome formulation which greatly enhances its bioavailability but large-scale RCTs are needed to confirm these findings.

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size 19
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Humans
  • COVID-19
  • Quercetin
  • Hospitalization

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Meta Analysis
  • Publication Types: Meta-Analysis, Systematic Review, Journal Article
  • Vertical: quercetin

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09