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Association Between Ursodeoxycholic Acid and Clinical Outcomes in Patients With COVID-19 Infection: Population-Based
Hyunjun Lee1, Min Gul Kim2, Sang Woo Yeom3
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Jeonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Republic of Korea, Jeonju, Republic of Korea.
Insights
Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) intake was linked to reduced COVID-19 susceptibility and severity in a large-scale study. These findings suggest UDCA may serve as a potential preventive and therapeutic agent against COVID-19 infection.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Infectious Diseases
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Conflicting research exists on ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and COVID-19.
- Previous studies yielded complex and contradictory findings, creating uncertainty regarding UDCA's role in COVID-19 management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between UDCA and COVID-19 infection using a large-scale cohort.
- To clarify the impact of UDCA on COVID-19 susceptibility and severity.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of local (JBUH CDM) and nationwide (NHIS) cohorts.
- Propensity score matching was employed to assess UDCA intake's relationship with COVID-19 outcomes.
- Investigated both COVID-19 susceptibility and severity in relation to UDCA use.
Main Results:
- UDCA intake significantly reduced COVID-19 susceptibility (aHR 0.71 in JBUH CDM, 0.93 in NHIS).
- UDCA intake significantly lowered COVID-19 severity (aHR 0.21 in JBUH CDM, 0.77 in NHIS).
- Consistent protective effects were observed across different cohorts and irrespective of UDCA dosage.
Conclusions:
- UDCA intake is significantly associated with reduced COVID-19 susceptibility and severity.
- The findings support UDCA's potential as a preventive and therapeutic agent for COVID-19.
- Consistent results across large cohorts strengthen the evidence for UDCA's efficacy.
Background:
Several studies have investigated the relationship between ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and COVID-19 infection. However, complex and conflicting results have generated confusion in the application of these results.
Objective:
We aimed to investigate whether the association between UDCA and COVID-19 infection can also be demonstrated through the analysis of a large-scale cohort.
Methods:
This retrospective study used local and nationwide cohorts, namely, the Jeonbuk National University Hospital into the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership common data model cohort (JBUH CDM) and the Korean National Health Insurance Service claim-based database (NHIS). We investigated UDCA intake and its relationship with COVID-19 susceptibility and severity using validated propensity score matching.
Results:
Regarding COVID-19 susceptibility, the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) value of the UDCA intake was significantly lowered to 0.71 in the case of the JBUH CDM (95% CI 0.52-0.98) and was significantly lowered to 0.93 (95% CI 0.90-0.96) in the case of the NHIS. Regarding COVID-19 severity, the UDCA intake was found to be significantly lowered to 0.21 (95% CI 0.09-0.46) in the case of JBUH CDM. Furthermore, the aHR value was significantly lowered to 0.77 in the case of NHIS (95% CI 0.62-0.95).
Conclusions:
Using a large-scale local and nationwide cohort, we confirmed that UDCA intake was significantly associated with reductions in COVID-19 susceptibility and severity. These trends remained consistent regardless of the UDCA dosage. This suggests the potential of UDCA as a preventive and therapeutic agent for COVID-19 infection.
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