Abstract
Hydroxychloroquine combined with azithromycin has been investigated for activity against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but concerns about adverse cardiovascular (CV) effects have been raised. This study evaluated claims data to determine if risks for CV events were increased with hydroxychloroquine alone or combined with azithromycin. We identified data from 43,752 enrollees that qualified for analysis. The number of CV events increased by 25 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 8, 42, p=0.005) per 1000 people per year of treatment with hydroxychloroquine alone compared with pretreatment levels and by 201 (95% CI: 145, 256, p<0.001) events per 1000 people per year when individuals took hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin. These rates translate to an additional 0.34 (95% CI: 0.11, 0.58) CV events per 1000 patients placed on a 5-day treatment with hydroxychloroquine monotherapy and 2.75 (95% CI: 1.99, 3.51) per 1000 patients on a 5-day treatment with both hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin. The rate of adverse events increased with age following exposure to hydroxychloroquine alone and combined with azithromycin. For females aged 60 to 79 years prescribed hydroxychloroquine, the rate of adverse CV events was 0.92 per 1000 patie...Continue Reading
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