Protective effects of calcium channel blockers in hypertensive non-vaccinated patients with covid-19

Objective: Analysis of the effects of antihypertensive therapy on the prognosis and outcome of hypertensive non-vaccinated patients with COVID-19. Design and method: The study included 90 hypertensive non-vaccinated patients who underwent cardiovascular assessment in 2019 and suffered from COVID-19 in 2020. The cardiovascular evaluation included laboratory, heart ultrasound, exercise stress test, and 24h Holter ECG. The aim of our study was to analyze the effects of clinical and demographic characteristics and antihypertensive therapy on the prognosis and outcome of hypertensive non-vaccinated patients with COVID-19. Data were obtained by completing a telephone-based questionnaire. All pts were divided into three groups according to the way of treatment – pts who were treated ambulatory (A group, 56 pts), pts who were hospitalized and required oxygen therapy (H group, 25 pts), and patients who died due to COVID-19 (D group, 9 pts). Results: Groups didn’t differ in the presence of dyslipidemia. Obesity was the most prevalent in the A group (A 30.4%, H 20%, and D 11.1%), and smoking status in the H group (H 48%, A 33.9%, and D 33.3%). Diabetes was highly present in the D group (D 44.4%, H 25%, and A 32%), coronary artery disease in the H group (H 52%, A 41%, and D 33.3%), as well as atrial fibrillation (H 32%, A 28.57%, D 22.22%). Complex heart arrhythmias on 24h Holter ECG were the most prevalent in the H group (H 50%, A 20%. D 19.44%), and pts from the H group had the worst strain tolerance on exercise stress test (H 5.62 ± 2.37min, A 5.86 ± 2.77, and D 6.84 ± 3.39). Groups didn’t differ in using beta-blockers, diuretics, angiotensin II receptor antagonists, or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. On the other hand, only 28.57% of pts from the D group were taking calcium channel blockers (CCBs), while this percentage was significantly higher in the H (75%) and in the A group (52%). Conclusions: Our study showed that CCBs had a protective effect on the prognosis and outcome in hypertensive non-vaccinated pts with COVID-19.