Must be a shît ton of Lupus patients dropping dead from QT elongation.
That deadly Hydroxychloroquine!!!
Scores of pukey patients on Zofran also dropping like flies from QT elongation too.
Dont tell the doc you’re nauseated, could be instant death above 8mg
QT elongation doesn't kill. Arrhythmias do. The body is more prone to arrhythmia when in the presence of infection, comorbidity, or other medications. You know, sick people. As an educated person, you know that typically lupus is diagnosed most frequently in females in their early 20s through late 30s.
As the educated person you are, you realize that walking around with a relatively young and healthy body, risk of QT elongation for a hydroxychloroquine-taking patient is relatively small outside the presence of other illness. However, according to Hooks, et al in "Effects of hydroxychloroquine treatment on QT interval," something as minor as increased ventricular rate of a hydroxychloroquine-recipient significantly increases QT-elongation. This phenomenon also increases with age. The presence of a COVID-19 infection, as all infections, creates an elevated heart rate. Combine dehydration and dealing with the biproducts of cellular destruction present in the disease process, renal function is severely impaired which further compounds the problem according to the previously cited research and countless others. So yes, HCQ very much CAN be deadly if prescribed in the wrong situation, which my sister-in-law's patient found out the hard way. And yes, even those receiving therapy for SLE have an increased likelihood of death. Hooks, et al explains:
"Survival in relation to QTc
Of the 819 patients in the whole study cohort, 269 (33%) died over a median 5.97 (3.33–10.11) years of follow-up. In comparison to those who survived, the patients who died were older, more likely to be men, and more likely to have coronary disease, heart failure, and CKD. In univariable Cox regression analysis, QTc >470 ms during HCQ therapy was associated with greater mortality (HR 1.78; 95% CI 1.16–2.71; P = .008) (Figure 2 ). However, after adjustment for age, sex, and comorbidities, QTc >470 ms during HCQ treatment was no longer associated with long-term mortality. In patients with paired ECG, delta QTc was not associated with mortality (HR 1.001; 95% CI 0.998–1.005; P = .51)."
And as you remember, there was a temporary HCQ emergency-use authorization that was revoked by the CDC. It was used in combination with azithromycin with some promise until a trial with azithromycin alone showed like outcomes.
I know you thought you were being snarky, but the evidence is clear, HCQ DOES indeed affect lifespan of SLE patients and poses significant risk in the presence of significant infection, comorbidities, and other medications that may be given during the COVID disease process, such as prophylactic antibiotics to prevent pneumonia, such as Levaquin.
