Comparison of three cohorts of COVID-19 patients with different
severity: exposure to antihypertensive, antidiabetic and lipid-lowering
agents
Abstract
Aim: The association between COVID-19 disease severity and certain
medicines for the treatment of chronic diseases is currently under
discussion. We herein evaluated if previous exposure to
antihypertensive, hypoglycaemic, and lipid-lowering drugs increases the
risk of poorer COVID-19 outcomes. Methods: We performed a retrospective
study on three cohorts of COVID-19 adult patients between March 2020 and
May 2020 at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital. Information relating
to the patient lifestyle, comorbidities, and chronic exposures was
retrieved from primary healthcare electronic records. Three cohorts were
examined, namely patients who had died or required intensive care
treatment (ICU/Death [ICU-D] Cohort), patients who required
hospitalisation (Hospitalisation [HOSP] Cohort), and patients who
only attended the emergency department (Emergencies [EM] Cohort).
Descriptive statistics and a multivariate logistic regression model were
used to investigate associations with drug exposure, where EM was
employed as the reference cohort. Results: We included 1,778 patients:
417 (23.5%) from the ICU-D Cohort, 1,052 (59.2%) from the HOSP Cohort,
and 309 (17.4%) from the EM Cohort. After multiple imputations and data
adjustment by potential confounders, no statistically significant
association was observed between the COVID-19 severity and the use of
antihypertensives, hypoglycaemic agents, or lipid-lowering agents, with
the exception of calcium channel blockers (CCB) (ICU-D Cohort: OR 2.23;
CI 95% [1.03–4.83]; P = 0.042). Conclusions: Most results on
lifestyle characteristics and comorbidities related to COVID-19 severity
were in agreement with current knowledge, although some associated
factors are nowadays a matter of controversy and further investigation
is required.