Association between cardiovascular, psychotropic and anti-inflammatory/analgesic drug use and vascular dysfunction in individuals with long COVID. BioICOPER study

Introduction While the deterioration in the general health of patients with long COVID (LC) is well documented, no studies have assessed changes in medication use and their relationships with vascular health. This study aimed to evaluate the increase in the use of various drug classes in LC and its relationship with vascular structure and function. Methods Each participant in the sample of 305 subjects diagnosed with LC completed a questionnaire on medication use, verified in medical records. Pre-pandemic and current drug use were recorded. Arterial stiffness was measured with the VaSera device, which estimates the cardio-ankle vascular index and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (ba-PWV); carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity was determined using the Sphygmocor device. Vascular structure was assessed by carotid intima-media thickness (c-IMT), measured with a Sonosite Micromax ultrasound. This analysis focuses exclusively on macrovascular parameters. Statistical analyses were performed with SPSS software. Results Use of all classes of medication increased. Patients with a greater rise in drug use after an LC diagnosis showed higher vascular parameters. Greater cardiovascular drug use was positively associated with ba-PWV, an indicator of arterial stiffness ( β = 0.301, 95%CI: 0.024–0.577). Increased anti-inflammatory/analgesic drug use was positively associated with c-IMT, a marker of vascular wall thickness ( β = 0.012, 95%CI: 0.001–0.023). Conclusions Medication use rose from 2019 to the time of inclusion in the study. The increase in cardiovascular and anti-inflammatory/analgesic drug use was positively associated with ba-PWV and c-IMT, respectively, suggesting a link between greater drug use and impaired vascular health in LC.