A new study found that people with heart disease or high blood pressure may be less likely to die from COVID-19 if they’re on statins.
Many studies have linked COVID-19 to cardiovascular disease. This is because patients with COVID-19 who have cardiovascular comorbidities have higher mortality.
According to a study, people with heart disease or high blood pressure may be less likely to die from COVID-19 if they take statins.
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Lori Daniels, professor and director of UC San Diego Health’s Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit, and colleagues said:
“Because cardiovascular disease and hypertension (high blood pressure) are both prominent risk factors for developing severe COVID-19 and are also conditions commonly treated with statins and antihypertensive medications, there is complex interplay between the effects of these conditions and medications.”
Professor Daniels and colleagues used propensity-score matched analysis arranged by comorbidity status to disentangle the interactions of statins and heart disease and high blood pressure. Comorbidity status refers to the presence of one or more health conditions a patient has with a primary illness.
The team looked at data from 10,541 patients in 104 hospitals in the United States, with a median age of 66 years.
66 percent of the study participants had hypertension, 41 percent were obese, 40 percent had diabetes, 40 percent had dyslipidemia, and 32 percent had cardiovascular disease.
All patients were hospitalized with COVID-19, and 42 percent of them had taken statins prior to admission.
Patients were excluded from the study if they were under the age of 40, were diagnosed with COVID-19 after discharge, had been transferred from another hospital, or had an unknown final disposition.
The researchers discovered that, when compared to patients who did not take statins, outpatient statin use was associated with a lower risk of death.
They also discovered that taking statins and/or antihypertensives was associated with a lower risk of death from COVID-19 in people with CVC and/or high blood pressure.
Professor Daniels added: “Our study reinforces the AHA and others’ recommendation that not only is it safe to remain on these medications, but they may substantially reduce risk of severe COVID-19 and especially death from COVID-19, particularly statins, and particularly among those with associated underlying conditions.
“Whether these medications are also protective among individuals without underlying indications for taking them such as SVS or hypertension is less clear and merits further study.
“Several randomised trials are currently underway evaluating the use of these medications for treatment of COVID-19.”
Previously, researchers discovered that statins and other antihypertensive medications stabilize underlying diseases, increasing patients’ chances of recovering from COVID-19.
They stated that patients who have a legitimate reason to take statins may benefit from the drug’s ability to inhibit the virus.
Statins are typically prescribed to patients who have a family history of heart disease or a chronic medical condition such as rheumatoid arthritis or type 1 or 2 diabetes.
The ACE2 receptor, which is a statin’s regulatory target, aids in blood pressure control. Researchers discovered in 2020 that the COVID-19 virus used the same receptor to enter lung cells.
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