THE EFFECT OF LONG-TERM USE OF ASPIRIN ON THE OUTCOMES OF COVID-19 INFECTION IN PATIENTS WITH A HISTORY OF CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE AND DIABETES

Background: A history of coronary artery disease (CAD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been linked to a poor prognosis in patients infected with COVID-19. There is limited research on the effect of prolonged acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) use prior to infection and its impact on the prognosis of this patient population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of chronic ASA intake on the outcomes of Covid-19 infection in this specific patient population. Methods: A retrospective review using the MCOVID19 dataset on the PearlDiver Supercomputer (PearlDiver Technologies, Fort Wayne, IN) was conducted. A cohort of patients with a history of CAD+T2DM and a COVID-19 positive test (index event) from December 15, 2019, through October 31, 2020, was identified using ICD-9 and 10 codes. The use of ASA for 1 month prior to the index event was used to split the cohort into two propensity score-matched groups, considering age, gender, Charlson Comorbidity Index, and other medications. Records from both groups were reviewed for all-cause mortality, hospitalization, ICU admissions, intubation, hospice discharge, and cardiac arrest within one month following the index event. The strength of association was reported using Risk Ratios (RR). A p-value <0.05 was deemed significant. Results: A subset of 8269 patients with CAD+T2DM on chronic ASA had a COVID-19 positive test. This group had