
Caution Strongly Recommended When Using Chloroquine, Hydroxychloroquine in Patients With Cardiovascular Disease, COVID-19
Despite positive results seen from the use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in some patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), concern is mounting about how these drugs affect patients’ cardiovascular health, specifically the heart.
Despite positive results seen from the use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in some patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), concerns have begun to mount worldwide about how these drugs affect patients’ cardiovascular health, specifically the heart. The drugs’ safety and efficacy in this area have come under fire due to the lack of actionable data from large-scale clinical trials.
The American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, and the Heart Rhythm Society issued
- Irregular heartbeat
- Polymorphic ventricular tachycardia
- Long QT syndrome
- Increased risk of sudden death
The groups’ recommendations include withholding hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin in patients with baseline QT prolongation, monitoring cardiac rhythm,
“The urgency of COVID-19 must not diminish the scientific rigor with which we approach COVID-19 treatment. While these medications may work against COVID-19 individually or in combination, we recommend caution with these medications for patients with existing cardiovascular disease,”
Cautionary tales also have emerged from Brazil and Sweden on the use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). In Sweden, where social distancing is
Magnus Gisslén, professor and senior doctor at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden, and colleagues noted “a serious effect on the heart” linked to using the medication, as well as that “the patients most at risk are those with pre-existing conditions in the heart. Those are often the older patients,” he said. “But if you get a too high dosage it can affect people who have no underlying conditions at all.”
In Brazil, a
Meanwhile, preventing complications from comorbid CVD and COVID-19 is a prominent part of the
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