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In Covid-19 pandemic, specific comorbidities are associated with the increased risk of worse outcomes and increased severity of lung injury and mortality. the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of antihypertensive medications on the severity and outcomes of hypertensive patients with COVID-19. This retrospective observational study conducted on patients with COVID-19 who referred to Afzalipour Hospital, Kerman, Iran during the six months from 19 February 2020 to 20 July 2020. The data were collected through medical chart reviews. We assessed 265 patients with Covid-19 and they stratified based on hypertension and type of antihypertension medications. The data were described and Student’s t -test, Mann–Whitney U and Fisher exact test were run to compare the patients ‘demographical and clinical information. The qualitative variables were compared using the by SPSS software version 23. The results of the present study showed that hypertension was a prevalent comorbidity among patients with COVID-19 and hypertensive patients compared to other patients without any comorbidity who were older ( P -value: 0.03). The oxygen saturation was higher for the patients in the control group than hypertensive patients ( P -value: 0.01). The severity of COVID-19 and its outcome were not different between the patients who took or did not take antihypertensive medications and also the type of antihypertensive medications. Hypertensive patients did not show any significant difference in survival, hospital stay, ICU admission, disease severity, and invasive medical ventilation in other normotensive patients with COVID-19.

Background The concurrent usage of herbal medicines with conventional therapies is an important concern in cancer treatment which can lead to unexpected consequences like herb-drug interactions. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of potential herb-drug interactions and to predict factors associated with herb-drug interactions for cancer patients. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among a convenience sample of 315 cancer patients referring to the oncology clinics of Kerman city in 2018. Data were collected via comprehensive face-to-face interviews and medical chart reviews. A drug interaction checker was used to determine herb-drug interactions. The information of patients was compared based on herb-drug interactions using bivariable logistic regression models, and predictors were determined by the multivariable logistic regression model. All analyses were performed by Stata software version 16. Results Of 262 patients (83.2% of the patients) who used herbal medicines, 209 patients [79.8% (95% Confidence Intervals (CI): 75.2 – 85.1)] had potential herb-drug interactions. Chamomile was the most popular herbal medicine (n = 163, 78.0%), and minor and moderate herb-drug interactions were caused by green tea (n = 34, 16.3%) and peppermint (n = 78, 37.5%). The number of chemotherapeutic agents (OR: 1.92, 95% CI: 1.43–2.58; P-value < 0.0001) and the experienced of pain during chemotherapy courses (OR = 2.22, 95%CI:1.00–4.94; P-value = 0.04) were some of the predictors of herb-drug interactions among cancer patients. Conclusion Herbal medicine use during chemotherapy was found prevalent among cancer patients; of them, the experience of potential herb-drug interactions was highly frequent. Oncologists and clinical pharmacologists are recommended to take into account challenges associated with herb-drug interactions in their routine practices, particularly during chemotherapy among these patients.

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Background: The concurrent usage of herbal medicines with conventional therapies is an important concern in cancer treatment which can lead to unexpected consequences like herb-drug interactions. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of potential herb-drug interactions and to predict factors associated with herb-drug interactions for cancer patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among a convenience sample of 315 cancer patients referring to the oncology clinics of Kerman in 2018. Data were collected via comprehensive face-to-face interviews and medical chart reviews. A drug interaction checker was used to determine herb-drug interactions. The information of patients was compared based on herb-drug interactions by using bivariable logistic regression models and predictors were determined by the multivariable logistic regression model. All analyses were performed by Stata software version 16. Results: Of 262 patients who used herbal medicines, 209 patients [79.8% (95% CI: 75.2 – 85.1)] had potential herb-drug interactions. Chamomile was the most popular herbal medicine (n=163, 78%), and minor and moderate herb-drug interactions were caused by green tea (n=34, 16.3%) and peppermint (n=78, 37.5%). The number of chemotherapeutic agents (OR: 1.92, 95% CI: 1.43–2.58; P-value<0.0001) and the experience of pain during chemotherapy courses (OR=2.22, 95%CI:1.00–4.94; P-value=0.04) were some of the predictors of herb-drug interactions among cancer patients. Conclusion: The majority of cancer patients used herbal medicines during chemotherapy courses and physicians could reduce the odds of herb-drug interactions with proper education, monitor the side effects of chemotherapy, and prevent patients from self-medication with herbal medicines.