Calcium channel blockers may reduce the development of long COVID in females

Takuya Ozawa, Ryusei Kimura, Hideki Terai, Ryo Takemura, Ho Namkoong, Masahiro Kondo, Keitaro Fukuda, Kazuma Yagi, Takanori Asakura, Katsunori Masaki, Shotaro Chubachi, Jun Miyata, Keiko Ohgino, Ichiro Kawada, Junko Kagyo, Toshio Odani, Naota Kuwahara, Ichiro Nakachi, Makoto Ishii, Yasunori SatoKoichi Fukunaga

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

With the rising numbers of patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, long coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)—a sequelae of COVID-19—has become a major problem. Different sexes and age groups develop different long COVID symptoms, and the risk factors for long COVID remain unclear. Therefore, we performed subgroup analyses of patients with COVID-19, classifying them into different groups. In this multicenter cohort study, using an original questionnaire, we examined patients (≥18 years old) diagnosed with COVID-19 from November 2020 to March 2022 and hospitalized at participating medical facilities. In total, 1066 patients were registered (361 female, 620 male). Hypertension was the most common comorbidity (n = 344; 32.5%). Females with hypertension were significantly less likely to develop long COVID symptoms than those without hypertension (odds ratio [OR] 0.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.27–0.98; p = 0.043). In females, Ca channel blocker administration, rather than having hypertension, was significantly associated with reductions in the frequency of alopecia (OR 0.14, 95% CI 0.03–0.67, p = 0.015), memory impairment (OR 0.14, 95% CI 0.02–0.82, p = 0.029), sleeping disorders (OR 0.17, 95% CI 0.04–0.67, p = 0.012), tinnitus (OR 0.23, 95% CI 0.05–0.98, p = 0.047), sputum (OR 0.31, 95% CI 0.10–0.92, p = 0.035), and fever (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.12–0.93, p = 0.036). Several long COVID symptoms, including alopecia, were significantly negatively associated with Ca channel-blocker administration in female patients with long COVID. (Figure presented.)

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)934-943
Number of pages10
JournalHypertension Research
Volume47
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024 Apr

Keywords

  • Antihypertensive drug
  • COVID-19
  • Hypertension
  • Long COVID
  • SARS-CoV-2

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Internal Medicine
  • Physiology
  • Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine

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