Evidence mapPaperPMID 33197879Full record

Trial reportJMIR public health and surveillance2020

Associations of Medications With Lower Odds of Typical COVID-19 Symptoms: Cross-Sectional Symptom Surveillance Study.

Dietmar Urbach, Friedemann Awiszus, Sven Leiß, Tamsin Venton, Alexander Vincent De Specht, Christian Apfelbacher

Open access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in JMIR public health and surveillance, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.2field-weighted citation impact, top 32% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Observational
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Dietmar UrbachHelios-Klinikum Gifhorn, Gifhorn, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-4509-8411
Friedemann AwiszusDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-3419-4953
Sven LeißGutingi-Medical Outpatient Clinic, Göttingen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-6022-1740
Tamsin VentonTeign Estuary Medical Group, Teignmouth, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-8485-8957
Alexander Vincent De SpechtUniversity of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-4851-3131
Christian ApfelbacherInstitute of Social Medicine and Health Systems Research, Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-3805-8219
Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg · DETeignmouth Community Hospital · GBUniversitätsmedizin Göttingen · DEUniversity of Potsdam · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAs the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread across the globe, the search for an effective medication to treat the symptoms of COVID-19 continues as well. It would be desirable to identify a medication that is already in use for another condition and whose side effect profile and safety data are already known and approved.

objectiveThe objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different medications on typical COVID-19 symptoms by using data from an online surveillance survey.

methodsBetween early April and late-July 2020, a total of 3654 individuals in Lower Saxony, Germany, participated in an online symptom-tracking survey conducted through the app covid-nein-danke.de. The questionnaire comprised items on typical COVID-19 symptoms, age range, gender, employment in patient-facing healthcare, housing status, postal code, previous illnesses, permanent medication, vaccination status, results of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and antibody tests for COVID-19 diagnosis, and consequent COVID-19 treatment if applicable. Odds ratio estimates with corresponding 95% CIs were computed for each medication and symptom by using logistic regression models.

resultsData analysis suggested a statistically significant inverse relationship between typical COVID-19 symptoms self-reported by the participants and self-reported statin therapy and, to a lesser extent, antihypertensive therapy. When COVID-19 diagnosis was based on restrictive symptom criteria (ie, presence of 4 out of 7 symptoms) or a positive RT-PCR test, a statistically significant association was found solely for statins (odds ratio 0.28, 95% CI 0.1-0.78).

conclusionsIndividuals taking statin medication are more likely to have asymptomatic COVID-19, in which case they may be at an increased risk of transmitting the disease unknowingly. We suggest that the results of this study be incorporated into symptoms-based surveillance and decision-making protocols in regard to COVID-19 management. Whether statin therapy has a beneficial effect in combating COVID-19 cannot be deduced based on our findings and should be investigated by further study.

trial registrationGerman Clinical Trials Register DRKS00022185; https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00022185; World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform U1111-1252-6946.

Indexed as

COVID-19 Drug TreatmentAgedAntihypertensive AgentsCOVID-19Cross-Sectional StudiesEpidemiological MonitoringFemaleGermanyHumansHydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase InhibitorsMaleMiddle AgedMobile ApplicationsProspective StudiesSARS-CoV-2Self ReportAntihypertensive AgentsHydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase InhibitorsantihypertensivesCOVID-19hydroxymethyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitorsonline surveySARS-CoV-2statinssurveillance

Identifiers

PMID33197879
PMCPMC7744147
OpenAlexW3105827253

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.