Efficacy of treatments tested in COVID-19 patients with cardiovascular disease. A meta-analysis

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has spread globally infecting and killing millions. Those with cardiovascular disease (CVD) are at higher risk of increased disease severity and mortality. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the rate of in-hospital mortality following different treatments on COVID-19 in patients with CVD. Methods Pertinent articles were identified from the PubMed, Google Scholar, Ovid MEDLINE, and Ovid EMBASE databases. This study protocol was registered under PROSPERO with the identifier CRD42020183057. Results Of the 1673 papers scrutinized, 46 were included in the review. Of the 2553 patients (mean age 63.9 +/- 2.7 years/o; 57.2% male), the most frequent CVDs were coronary artery disease (9.09%) and peripheral arterial disease (5.4%) and the most frequent cardiovascular risk factors were hypertension (86.7%) and diabetes (23.7%). Most patients were on multiple treatments. 14 COVID-19 treatments were compared with controls. The pooled event rate for in-hospital mortality was 20% (95% confidence interval (CI): 11-33%); certain heterogeneity was observed across studies. Conclusions COVID-19 is associated with a high in-hospital mortality rate in patients with CVD. This study shows that previous CVD determines mortality, regardless of the type of COVID-19 administered therapy. Treatments for at-risk patients should be administered carefully and monitored closely until further data are available.

Automated summary

This study provides a systematic review and meta-analysis on the in-hospital mortality rate of COVID-19 patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). The results indicate a high in-hospital mortality rate in COVID-19 patients with CVD. Regardless of the type of COVID-19 treatment administered, previous CVD has an impact on mortality rate. Treatments for high-risk patients should be administered carefully and closely monitored.