Ozone therapy: Infectious disease specialists dispute its use – 10/24/2023 – Health

The SBI (Brazilian Society of Infectious Diseases) released this Tuesday (24) a document warning of the lack of evidence on the use of ozone therapy in the treatment of chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis.

In the text, written by members of the Scientific Committee on Viral Hepatitis, the entity explains that publications on the internet promote the use of ozone therapy, but the arguments presented in these posts lack support.

“At this time, we want to emphasize that current scientific literature does not support ozone therapy as an effective and safe treatment for chronic hepatitis B, chronic hepatitis C and liver cirrhosis, as there is still a lack of well-conducted clinical trials and consistent results”, states the SBI.

Doctors also emphasize that inadequate management of these diseases can affect viral load and the risk of complications. “Deviating from these established protocols without robust scientific evidence could result in serious health risks.”

In one of the publications rejected by the entity, a study with 28 patients with hepatitis B is presented. In addition to being a small sample, the research has methodological problems and it is not clear which scientific journal it was published in and whether it was screened by other scientists, the so-called peer review.

Another publication, on hepatitis C, argues that medicinal ozone is the best option for eliminating viruses and that the treatment helps to increase tissue oxygenation and metabolism, but these statements lack evidence.

“The text also suggests that ozone therapy is safe and has no side effects, which is not proven, and mentions the recommendation from Egypt, but the validity of medical practices may vary from country to country”, adds the SBI.

The same goes for its use in the treatment of liver cirrhosis related to hepatitis C: there is a lack of research proving the effectiveness of the treatment.

“For this reason, we encourage patients and healthcare professionals to obtain information through reliable scientific and medical sources and to prioritize treatments that have rigorous evidence of efficacy and safety”, he concludes.

The use of medicinal ozone returned to the center of public debate in August, when President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) sanctioned a law that authorizes healthcare professionals with higher education to use ozone therapy as a complementary treatment. At the time, entities such as the CFM (Federal Council of Medicine) and the AMB (Brazilian Medical Association) highlighted that the practice has no scientific recognition.

What is hepatitis?

According to the Ministry of Health, hepatitis refers to any inflammation of the liver due to various causes, the most common being infections caused by viruses of types A, B and C and the abusive consumption of alcohol or other toxic substances.

Hepatitis B and C viruses are transmitted mainly through blood. Injectable drug users and people subjected to contaminated surgical material are among the biggest victims – hence the need for care during waxing, manicure or tattoo sessions, for example.

The hepatitis B virus can also be transmitted through unprotected sexual contact, reinforcing the importance of using condoms.