Vicki Doe Fitness

  • Resources
  • Events
  • Subscribe
  • Log In
  • Your Profile
  • Cart
  • Home
    • Who We Are
    • Our Company
    • Services
    • Our Team
  • Blog
  • Train
    • VDF Academy
    • Bootcamp
    • Coach App
  • Podcast
    • About the Show
    • Vicki Haywood Doe, PhD, ACSM-EP
    • Virginia Dee Banks, MD,MBA
  • Multimedia
    • VDF Exercise Tips
    • Podcast
    • Healthy TV
    • Healthy Kitchen TV
    • Healthy News
  • The Experts
  • Contact
  • Vicki Doe Fitness STORE
  • Join
  • Login
  • Your Profile
  • Cart

Want the inside scoop? Join our community. Stay connected

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Antiviral Drugs Tied to Heart Issue in COVID-19 Patients

July 10, 2020 by Vicki Doe Leave a Comment

FRIDAY, July 10, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Older, critically ill COVID-19 patients who are given a combination of two common antiretroviral drugs can experience a drastic slowing of their heart rate, French researchers report.

In their study of 41 patients treated with lopinavir and ritonavir twice daily for 10 days, 22% developed a slow heart rate condition called bradycardia. When the drugs were stopped or doses lowered, the patients' heart rates returned to normal, according to the team from Amiens University Hospital, in France.

“There are extensive investigations underway to find therapies that are effective at treating patients infected with COVID-19,” said Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, who had no part in the study.

The lopinavir-ritonavir combo had been considered a promising treatment for COVID-19 based on very small reports, randomized clinical trials and off-label use, Fonarow said.

But earlier studies have suggested that this combination may also lead to heart block, a problem with electrical signals in the heart. “Determining how these drugs lead to the bradycardia will require further study,” Fonarow said.

Doctors prescribing these drugs should be aware of the potential for bradycardia and carefully monitor patients, he added.

“Moreover, preliminary clinical trial results suggest this therapy is not effective in COVID-19, so use in this setting will likely be very limited going forward,” Fonarow said.

Lopinavir and ritonavir have also been used to treat other viruses, including SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) and HIV. The researchers noted that bradycardia has also been seen among HIV patients treated with the drugs.

Normally, adults' hearts beat between 60 and 100 times a minute. In bradycardia, the rate falls below 60 beats per minute, causing decreased blood flow that can lead to fainting, chest pain, low blood pressure and heart failure.

Patients in the French study who developed the problem were older than ones who did not, averaging 62 to 80 years of age, the researchers reported.

Dr. Marc Siegel, a professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City who reviewed the findings, noted that the two-drug combo had not helped hospitalized COVID-19 patients in other recent trials.

Siegel said the treatment should not be used with COVID-19 because it's not effective in either critically ill patients or in the early stages of the disease.

“The remaining hope for this combination of drugs was early in the disease, but the significant amount of bradycardia in these critically ill patients raises the question that this combo is not well tolerated in many patients,” he said.

Going forward, Siegel said, the experimental antiviral drug remdesivir appears to be effective and is already being used to fight COVID-19.

The new study, by Dr. Christophe Beyls and colleagues, was published online July 9 in the journal Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology.

More information

To learn more about COVID-19, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SOURCES: Gregg Fonarow, MD, professor, cardiology, University of California, Los Angeles; Marc Siegel, MD, professor, medicine, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York City; Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, July 9, 2020, online

Copyright © 2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Related

© Copyright 2014-2024 Vicki Doe Fitness · Haywood Doe Consulting Co.,LLC· DBA Vicki Doe Fitness· All Rights Reserved

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo

Check out our Vicki Doe Fitness STORE

Screenshot

FREE Download- Herbs and Spices Cheatsheet

20 Healthy Breakfast Ideas for Under 15 mins.

Train

Events

Year-2025

June 2025
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30  
« May    

Get in touch. Leave a message.

VDF Podcast-Archives

“It’s All About Health & Fitness” Podcast-Apple Podcast

“It’s All About Health & Fitness” Podcast-TuneIn

“It’s All About Health & Fitness”- Podcast-Pandora

“It’s All About Health & Fitness” Podcast-Stitcher

Listen to Stitcher

“It’s All About Health & Fitness’ Podcast-Spotify

Premium Podcast Member-Members Only

Latest VDF Exercise Tips

Hypertension: Cardio endurance exercises

Osteoporosis: Weight-bearing exercises

Diabetes: Cardio exercises

VIEW Most Trusted Resources

Resources for Healthy Living!

Check out ShareASale

Check out Yoga Download.com

Check out Layla Sleep Inc

Check out Just Natural Products

Check out The Wright Stuff-Home Health Care Products

WrightStuff.biz

Check out MHR Brands

CBD for skin

Check out AliveCor.com

Shop AliveCor.com

Check out Triathlete Sports

Check out-ECO Friendly Lunchbox.com

Check out Heartsmart.com

Check out myLabBox, Inc.

Check out AliveCor

Check out YogaDownload.com

Check out Art of Tea

Check out Filtered Water-The Water Store

Drink Responsibly, Filter Water NOw

Check out Triathlete Sports

Check out Layla Sleep Inc.

Check out FilterWater.com The Water Store

Drink Responsibly. Water Filters

Check out Heartsmart.com

Check out Yoga Download.com

Check out Art of Tea

Our M?nuka honey is 100% pure, sourced directly from New Zealand with an MGO 550+ rating.

Check out myLab Box, Inc.

Check out ECO Friendly Lunchbox.com

We've updated the Spring Guide and ECOlunchbox is highlighted :)

Check out The Wright Stuff- Home Health Care Products

ArthritisSupplies.com

Check out Just Natural Products

Check out MHR Brands

Check out ShareASale

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Home· VDFpodcast· VDF.TV· Subscribe · Support ·About us· Contact us

 

© Copyright 2024 Vicki Doe Fitness · Haywood Doe Consulting Co.,LLC· DBA Vicki Doe Fitness· All Rights Reserved

· Terms of Service and Privacy Guidelines·

Consult with a physician or medical healthcare provider for medical advice, diagnosis, and/or treatment. The material on the Vicki Doe Fitness website is for informational purposes only.