Association of calcium channel blocker use with clinical outcome of COVID-19: A meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT

AIMS: This meta-analysis aims to analyze the association of calcium channel blocker (CCB) use with COVID-19 clinical outcomes. METHODS: PubMed, ProQuest, Science Direct, Scopus, and medRxiv databases were searched systematically in a limited period. The primary outcome was mortality. RESULTS: A total of 119,298 patients from 31 eligible studies were included. Pooled analysis of the random-effect model revealed CCB was not associated with reduced mortality (OR = 1.21 [95%CI 0.98-1.49], p = 0.08). Interestingly, subgroup analysis in hypertensive patients revealed significantly reduced mortality (OR = 0.69 [95%CI 0.52-0.91], p = 0.009). CONCLUSION: CCB usage was not associated with the outcome of COVID-19. However, CCB was associated with a decreased mortality rate in hypertensive COVID-19 patients.