Impact of COVID-19 epidemic on antihypertensive drug treatment disruptions: results from a nationwide interrupted time-series analysis

Background: The COVID-19 epidemic has disrupted care and access to care in many ways. It was accompanied by an excess of cardiovascular drug treatment discontinuations. We sought to investigate a deeper potential impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on antihypertensive drug treatment disruptions by asses...

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Main Authors: Clément Mathieu, Julien Bezin, Antoine Pariente
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-05-01
Series:Frontiers in Pharmacology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2023.1129244/full
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author Clément Mathieu
Julien Bezin
Julien Bezin
Antoine Pariente
Antoine Pariente
author_facet Clément Mathieu
Julien Bezin
Julien Bezin
Antoine Pariente
Antoine Pariente
author_sort Clément Mathieu
collection DOAJ
description Background: The COVID-19 epidemic has disrupted care and access to care in many ways. It was accompanied by an excess of cardiovascular drug treatment discontinuations. We sought to investigate a deeper potential impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on antihypertensive drug treatment disruptions by assessing whether the epidemic induced some changes in the characteristics of disruptions in terms of duration, treatment outcome, and patient characteristics.Methods: From March 2018 to February 2021, a repeated cohort analysis was performed using French national health insurance databases. The impact of the epidemic on treatment discontinuations and resumption of antihypertensive medications was assessed using preformed interrupted time series analyses either on a quarterly basis.Results: Among all adult patients on antihypertensive medication, we identified 2,318,844 (18.7%) who discontinued their antihypertensive treatment during the first blocking period in France. No differences were observed between periods in the characteristics of patients who interrupted their treatment or in the duration of treatment disruptions. The COVID-19 epidemic was not accompanied by a change in the proportion of patients who fully resumed treatment after a disruption, neither in level nor in trend/slope [change in level: 2.66 (−0.11; 5.42); change in slope: −0.67 (−1.54; 0.20)]. Results were similar for the proportion of patients who permanently discontinued treatment within 1 year of disruption [level change: −0.21 (−2.08; 1.65); slope change: 0.24 (−0.40; 0.87)].Conclusion: This study showed that, although it led to an increase in cardiovascular drug disruptions, the COVID-19 epidemic did not change the characteristics of these. First, disruptions were not prolonged, and post-disruption treatment outcomes remained unchanged. Second, patients who experienced antihypertensive drug disruptions during the COVID-19 outbreak were essentially similar to those who experienced disruptions before it.
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spelling doaj.art-547b4f5983024e6690b37191b78302032023-05-15T04:39:25ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Pharmacology1663-98122023-05-011410.3389/fphar.2023.11292441129244Impact of COVID-19 epidemic on antihypertensive drug treatment disruptions: results from a nationwide interrupted time-series analysisClément Mathieu0Julien Bezin1Julien Bezin2Antoine Pariente3Antoine Pariente4Inserm, Bordeaux Population Health Research Center, Team AHeaD, UMR 1219, University Bordeaux, Bordeaux, FranceInserm, Bordeaux Population Health Research Center, Team AHeaD, UMR 1219, University Bordeaux, Bordeaux, FranceCHU de Bordeaux, Service de Pharmacologie Médicale, Bordeaux, FranceInserm, Bordeaux Population Health Research Center, Team AHeaD, UMR 1219, University Bordeaux, Bordeaux, FranceCHU de Bordeaux, Service de Pharmacologie Médicale, Bordeaux, FranceBackground: The COVID-19 epidemic has disrupted care and access to care in many ways. It was accompanied by an excess of cardiovascular drug treatment discontinuations. We sought to investigate a deeper potential impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on antihypertensive drug treatment disruptions by assessing whether the epidemic induced some changes in the characteristics of disruptions in terms of duration, treatment outcome, and patient characteristics.Methods: From March 2018 to February 2021, a repeated cohort analysis was performed using French national health insurance databases. The impact of the epidemic on treatment discontinuations and resumption of antihypertensive medications was assessed using preformed interrupted time series analyses either on a quarterly basis.Results: Among all adult patients on antihypertensive medication, we identified 2,318,844 (18.7%) who discontinued their antihypertensive treatment during the first blocking period in France. No differences were observed between periods in the characteristics of patients who interrupted their treatment or in the duration of treatment disruptions. The COVID-19 epidemic was not accompanied by a change in the proportion of patients who fully resumed treatment after a disruption, neither in level nor in trend/slope [change in level: 2.66 (−0.11; 5.42); change in slope: −0.67 (−1.54; 0.20)]. Results were similar for the proportion of patients who permanently discontinued treatment within 1 year of disruption [level change: −0.21 (−2.08; 1.65); slope change: 0.24 (−0.40; 0.87)].Conclusion: This study showed that, although it led to an increase in cardiovascular drug disruptions, the COVID-19 epidemic did not change the characteristics of these. First, disruptions were not prolonged, and post-disruption treatment outcomes remained unchanged. Second, patients who experienced antihypertensive drug disruptions during the COVID-19 outbreak were essentially similar to those who experienced disruptions before it.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2023.1129244/fullCOVID-19pharmacoepidemiologyimpact assessmentantihypertensive drugcardiovascular drugstreatment disruption
spellingShingle Clément Mathieu
Julien Bezin
Julien Bezin
Antoine Pariente
Antoine Pariente
Impact of COVID-19 epidemic on antihypertensive drug treatment disruptions: results from a nationwide interrupted time-series analysis
Frontiers in Pharmacology
COVID-19
pharmacoepidemiology
impact assessment
antihypertensive drug
cardiovascular drugs
treatment disruption
title Impact of COVID-19 epidemic on antihypertensive drug treatment disruptions: results from a nationwide interrupted time-series analysis
title_full Impact of COVID-19 epidemic on antihypertensive drug treatment disruptions: results from a nationwide interrupted time-series analysis
title_fullStr Impact of COVID-19 epidemic on antihypertensive drug treatment disruptions: results from a nationwide interrupted time-series analysis
title_full_unstemmed Impact of COVID-19 epidemic on antihypertensive drug treatment disruptions: results from a nationwide interrupted time-series analysis
title_short Impact of COVID-19 epidemic on antihypertensive drug treatment disruptions: results from a nationwide interrupted time-series analysis
title_sort impact of covid 19 epidemic on antihypertensive drug treatment disruptions results from a nationwide interrupted time series analysis
topic COVID-19
pharmacoepidemiology
impact assessment
antihypertensive drug
cardiovascular drugs
treatment disruption
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2023.1129244/full
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