Associations of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and long COVID risk in patients with depression: a retrospective cohort study
PURPOSE
To evaluate the potential of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in reducing the risk of long COVID in patients with depression.
METHODS
This retrospective cohort study analyzed U.S. electronic health records from TriNetX platform to compare the risk of long COVID among adults with depression who were prescribed SSRIs versus non-SSRI antidepressants between March 2020 and December 2022. The main outcome was the long COVID diagnosis. As a sensitivity analysis, CDC-defined long COVID symptoms were used as alternative outcomes. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess outcomes occurring 3–6 and 3–12 months after the index SARS-CoV-2 infection, with hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) calculated.
RESULTS
After propensity score matching, the study included 31,264 patients, and the risk of long COVID diagnosis was significantly lower in the SSRI cohort compared to the matched non-SSRI antidepressant cohort, with hazard ratios of 0.57 (95% CI: 0.44–0.73) for the 3-6-month period and 0.59 (95% CI: 0.49–0.72) for the 3-12-month period. Sensitivity analyses in matched cohorts of 17,100 patients showed that SSRI use was associated with a significantly reduced risk of long COVID symptoms, consistent across symptom categories and pandemic periods.
CONCLUSIONS
In adult patients with depression, SSRIs compared with non-SSRI antidepressants were associated with a lower risk of long COVID. These results offer preliminary evidence that SSRIs may help prevent long COVID in high‑risk populations and warrant further preclinical and clinical investigation.
Web | PDF | Infection | Open Access
Gao, Zhenxiang; Tabernacki, Tomasz; Davis, Pamela B; Kaelber, David C; Xu, Rong
PURPOSE
To evaluate the potential of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in reducing the risk of long COVID in patients with depression.
METHODS
This retrospective cohort study analyzed U.S. electronic health records from TriNetX platform to compare the risk of long COVID among adults with depression who were prescribed SSRIs versus non-SSRI antidepressants between March 2020 and December 2022. The main outcome was the long COVID diagnosis. As a sensitivity analysis, CDC-defined long COVID symptoms were used as alternative outcomes. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess outcomes occurring 3–6 and 3–12 months after the index SARS-CoV-2 infection, with hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) calculated.
RESULTS
After propensity score matching, the study included 31,264 patients, and the risk of long COVID diagnosis was significantly lower in the SSRI cohort compared to the matched non-SSRI antidepressant cohort, with hazard ratios of 0.57 (95% CI: 0.44–0.73) for the 3-6-month period and 0.59 (95% CI: 0.49–0.72) for the 3-12-month period. Sensitivity analyses in matched cohorts of 17,100 patients showed that SSRI use was associated with a significantly reduced risk of long COVID symptoms, consistent across symptom categories and pandemic periods.
CONCLUSIONS
In adult patients with depression, SSRIs compared with non-SSRI antidepressants were associated with a lower risk of long COVID. These results offer preliminary evidence that SSRIs may help prevent long COVID in high‑risk populations and warrant further preclinical and clinical investigation.
Web | PDF | Infection | Open Access