Purpose: To evaluate the effect of 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) and its impact on the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) in COVID-19 patients before hospital discharge.

Methods: The 6MWT report of the patients hospitalized with acute COVID-19 were analyzed retrospectively. All enrolled patients received 2-DG therapy as an adjunct for ten days to the standard of care in the management of COVID-19. A 6MWT was performed to determine any possible cases of silent hypoxemia before and after 2-DG administration. Data obtained during the tests were compared to evaluate the effect of 2-DG on the clinical condition of the patients and improvement in 6MWT.

Results: A significant improvement in the mean heart rate (86.5 ± 5.6/min, 91.1 ± 5.7/min), Borg scale breathlessness score (2.0 ± 0.5, 2.6 ± 0.7), and fatigue score (1.8 ± 0.6, 2.9 ± 0.6) was observed during the 6MWT post-2-DG therapy. Additionally, an optimum SpO2 level of > 95 % was achieved and maintained post-2-DG therapy compared to the baseline SpO2 level (< 90 %) pre-2-DG therapy. Improvement in these clinical parameters demonstrated a considerable improvement in the mean walking distance by 85% during the 6MWT with a marked development in the number of laps, speed, and metabolic equivalent (METS) compared to results obtained before 2-DG therapy.

Conclusion: 2-DG, as an adjunct therapy improved the clinical condition by achieving an optimum oxygen saturation level (> 95 %) in moderate to severely ill COVID-19 patients. It exhibited a positive impact on the 6MWT by improving the mean walking distance. 6MWT may be useful and can be considered as an effective tool to differentiate the hypoxemic patients before hospital discharge.