Patients with a history of heart disease or high blood pressure hospitalized with COVID-19 who were taking statins — cholesterol-lowering drugs — faced a lower death risk than those who were not taking such medications, according to recent findings published in The Public Library of Science One.
The study , published July 15, analyzed the outcomes of more than 10,000 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the U.S. Researchers compared the outcomes of similar patients who did and did not use statins or anti-hypertensive medications.
The cholesterol-lowering drugs were associated with a more than 40 percent reduction in in-hospital death and a more than 25 percent reduction in the risk of severe outcome.
Among those who had a history of heart disease or high blood pressure hospitalized with COVID-19, the medications were linked to a 32 percent lower odds of death.
"Early during the pandemic, there were questions as to whether certain cardiovascular medications might worsen COVID-19 infections," said Lori Daniels, MD, lead study author and director of the cardiovascular intensive care unit at UC San Diego Health. "We found that not only are statins and anti-hypertensive medications safe - they may very well be protective in patients hospitalized for COVID-19, especially among those with a history of hypertension or cardiovascular disease."