Articles: pandemics.
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Pol. Arch. Med. Wewn. · Mar 2024
Use of antihypertensive drug classes and combination therapies during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland: a cross-sectional, nation-wide study 2019-2021.
The 2018 European Society of Cardiology / European Society of Hypertension guidelines recommended the use of combination therapy, especially in the form of single‑pill combinations (SPCs), for treatment of hypertension. ⋯ During the COVID‑19 pandemic, a decrease in the frequency of combination treatments and an increase in the frequency of dual and triple SPC use were observed. Despite the slow increase in the frequency of prescribing the guideline‑recommended drug combinations, their use remains suboptimal.
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Many patients diagnosed with COVID-19 have persistent cardiovascular symptoms, but whether this represents a true cardiac process is unclear. This study assessed whether symptoms associated with long COVID among patients referred for cardiovascular evaluation are associated with objective abnormalities on cardiac testing to explain their clinical presentation. ⋯ This pragmatic retrospective cohort study suggests that patients with long COVID referred for cardiovascular evaluation infrequently have new, objective cardiovascular disease to explain their clinical presentation. A multidisciplinary, patient-centered approach is warranted for symptom management along with conservative use of diagnostic testing.