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Association between cardiovascular, psychotropic and anti-inflammatory/analgesic drug use and vascular dysfunction in
Silvia Arroyo-Romero1,2, Leticia Gómez-Sánchez3, Nuria Suárez-Moreno1,2
1Primary Care Research Unit of Salamanca (APISAL), Salamanca Primary Care Management, Institute of Biomedical Research of Salamanca (IBSAL), Salamanca, Spain.
Insights
Long COVID patients showed increased medication use, linked to poorer vascular health. Greater use of cardiovascular drugs correlated with arterial stiffness, while anti-inflammatory drug use related to thicker blood vessel walls.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular research
- Long COVID studies
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Long COVID (LC) significantly impacts patient health, yet changes in medication use and their vascular implications remain understudied.
- Assessing medication trends and their association with vascular health is crucial for understanding LC's long-term effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the increase in medication classes used by Long COVID patients.
- To determine the relationship between heightened drug use and vascular structure and function in LC.
Main Methods:
- 305 Long COVID patients completed validated medication use questionnaires, cross-referenced with medical records.
- Vascular health assessed via cardio-ankle vascular index, brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (ba-PWV), carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, and carotid intima-media thickness (c-IMT).
Main Results:
- All medication classes saw increased usage post-LC diagnosis.
- Higher medication use correlated with elevated vascular parameters.
- Increased cardiovascular drug use linked to higher ba-PWV (arterial stiffness); increased anti-inflammatory/analgesic use linked to greater c-IMT (vascular wall thickness).
Conclusions:
- Medication use increased from 2019 to study inclusion.
- Elevated use of cardiovascular and anti-inflammatory/analgesic drugs associated with impaired vascular health markers (ba-PWV and c-IMT) in Long COVID patients.
Introduction:
While the deterioration in the general health of patients with long COVID (LC) is well documented, no studies have assessed changes in medication use and their relationships with vascular health. This study aimed to evaluate the increase in the use of various drug classes in LC and its relationship with vascular structure and function.
Methods:
Each participant in the sample of 305 subjects diagnosed with LC completed a questionnaire on medication use, verified in medical records. Pre-pandemic and current drug use were recorded. Arterial stiffness was measured with the VaSera device, which estimates the cardio-ankle vascular index and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (ba-PWV); carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity was determined using the Sphygmocor device. Vascular structure was assessed by carotid intima-media thickness (c-IMT), measured with a Sonosite Micromax ultrasound. This analysis focuses exclusively on macrovascular parameters. Statistical analyses were performed with SPSS software.
Results:
Use of all classes of medication increased. Patients with a greater rise in drug use after an LC diagnosis showed higher vascular parameters. Greater cardiovascular drug use was positively associated with ba-PWV, an indicator of arterial stiffness (β = 0.301, 95%CI: 0.024-0.577). Increased anti-inflammatory/analgesic drug use was positively associated with c-IMT, a marker of vascular wall thickness (β = 0.012, 95%CI: 0.001-0.023).
Conclusions:
Medication use rose from 2019 to the time of inclusion in the study. The increase in cardiovascular and anti-inflammatory/analgesic drug use was positively associated with ba-PWV and c-IMT, respectively, suggesting a link between greater drug use and impaired vascular health in LC.
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