The long-term effects of the Covid-19 infection on cardiac symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Besides the lungs, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can affect the cardiovascular, digestive, urinary, hepatic, and central nervous systems. Other than its short-term effects, COVID-19 may also cause long-term complications. In this study, we assessed long-term COVID-19 cardiovascular symptoms among patients in a cardiovascular clinic. METHOD: A retrospective cohort was conducted between October 2020 to May 2021 on patients at an outpatient cardiovascular clinic in Shiraz, Iran. Patients with a history of COVID-19 at least one year before their referral were included. Baseline information was extracted from the clinic's database. Data were collected regarding symptoms like dyspnea, chest pain, fatigue, and palpitations after a year of COVID-19. We also noted any major adverse cardiac events (MACE). RESULTS: Most common symptoms after a year of COVID-19 were exertional dyspnea (51.2%), dyspnea at rest (41.6%), fatigue (39%), and chest pain (27.1%). The symptoms were more prevalent in hospitalized patients than in non-hospitalized patients. The prevalence of MACE was about 6.1% during the 12-month follow-up, with this rate being higher in those with a history of hospitalization or comorbid diseases. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of cardiovascular symptoms was fairly high in patients at our clinic a year after COVID-19, and the most common symptom was dyspnea. Hospitalized patients had more MACE. (Clinicaltrial.gov number: NCT05715879)(04/02/2023).

Comparison of Ticagrelor and Clopidogrel in Elective Coronary Stenting: A Double Blind Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Dual antiplatelet therapy with a P2Y12 inhibitor (e.g., clopidogrel and ticagrelor) and aspirin is recommended for at least one year after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to prevent further myocardial infarction and stent thrombosis as the major adverse effects of PCI. Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted from October 2022 to March 2023. Patients who had undergone elective PCI were included in the study. Patients were randomized into two different groups. One group took ASA 80 mg and clopidogrel 75 mg once daily, while the other took ASA 80 mg once daily and ticagrelor 90 mg twice daily. After six months of close follow-up, patients were asked to score their dyspnea on a 10-point Likert scale. They were also asked about dyspnea on exertion, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (PND), bleeding, and the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs). Results: 223 patients were allocated to the clopidogrel group and 214 to the ticagrelor group. In the ticagrelor group, 95 patients (44.3%) reported dyspnea at rest, compared with only 44 patients (19.7%) in the clopidogrel group (P < 0.001). MACEs occurred in 7 patients (2.8%) in the ticagrelor group, compared with 16 (7.6%) in the clopidogrel group (P = 0.031). Eight patients (3.8%) reported bleeding with ticagrelor, as did seven (3.2%) with clopidogrel (P = 0.799). Conclusions: New-onset dyspnea was recorded more frequently with ticagrelor than clopidogrel, yet fewer MACEs occurred with ticagrelor (ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT05858918).

Evaluation the effects of red yeast rice in combination with statin on lipid profile and inflammatory indices; a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Dyslipidemia is a prominent cause of cardiovascular disease as it leads to inflammation and plaque deposition within arteries. Treatment includes lifestyle modifications and lipid-lowering medications. We aimed to assess the therapeutic effects of red yeast rice (RYR) alongside statin therapy. METHODS: This triple-blind randomized clinical trial involved 92 dyslipidemia patients and was performed in 2019. Standard laboratory tests were used to assess the serum LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), HDL cholesterol (HDL-C), total cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels. Subsequently, patients randomly received one daily RYR or placebo tablet for 1 month beside routine single statin therapy. Subsequently, blood tests were repeated and compared against the baseline. Liver function tests were also requested. RESULTS: Total cholesterol significantly (P = 0.019) decreased in the treatment group (- 10.2 mg/dL) compared with the placebo group (- 1.3 mg/dL). HDL cholesterol decreased by 2.19 mg/dL in the treatment group but increased by 0.53 mg/dL in the treatment group (P = 0.083). LDL cholesterol declined in both placebo (- 5.09) and treatment (- 0.73) groups (P = 0.187). TG increased by about 7 mg/dL in the treatment group but fell by roughly 1 mg/dL in the placebo group (P = 0.386). Hs-CRP increased by 0.28 mg/dL in the treatment group but decreased by 0.09 mg/dL in the placebo group (P = 0.336). CONCLUSIONS: We found that adding RYR (Lesstat®) to statin medications significantly decreases total cholesterol. However, no significant effect was seen on other lipid profile components or Hs-CRP. Finally, we showed that RYR is safe to add to statins considering liver function (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT05095480).