2018 scientific paper shows that chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are associated with 30% reduced cardiovascular risk in patients with rheumatic diseases. Adverse effects were reported in less than 10% of patients (most commonly gastrointestinal intolerance cutaneous manifestations; hypotension and arrhythmia were very rare with a routine oral dose; less than 1% chance of retinopathy in the first 10 years of therapy). According to other studies cited in this paper, the drugs also:

• Could reduce hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and thrombosis;

• Improve insulin sensitivity, glucose profiles, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels;

• Were associated with beneficial changes of lipid profiles, including decreased levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c), irrespective of concomitant steroid use;

• Have been shown to be thromboprotective (protects against blood clots)

Anon's note: Most of the fear porn says CQ/HCQ causes disruptions in the heart's Q-T rhythms and victims would suddenly drop dead of heart arrhythmia. Frankly, I would rather succumb to instantaneous death rather than gasp for breath for weeks before dying anyways while on a ventilator. Anon currently has severe long-term respiratory issues, so am definitely familiar with shortness of breath.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6001837/

Drug Des Devel Ther. 2018; 12: 1685–1695.

Published online 2018 Jun 11. doi: 10.2147/DDDT.S166893

Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are associated with reduced cardiovascular risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background and aims

Chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) are widely used in patients with rheumatic diseases, but their effects on the cardiovascular system remain unclear. We aimed to assess whether CQ/HCQ could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Materials and methods

We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PubMed, Embase, and the ClinicalTrials.gov for studies investigating the association between CQ/HCQ and the risk of CVD from inception to 20 December 2017. We carried out the quality assessment using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOS). Random-effects model was used to pool the risk estimates relative ratio (RR), hazard ratio (HR) or odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for the outcomes.

Results

A total of 19 studies (7 case-control studies, 12 cohort studies, and no clinical trials) involving 19,679 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled results for HRs or RRs showed that CQ/HCQ was associated with a significantly reduced risk of CVD (pooled RR 0.72, 95% CI 0.56–0.94, p=0.013). Results based on ORs showed a similar tendency towards a reduced risk of CVD with CQ/HCQ (pooled OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.25–0.69, p=0.001).

Conclusion

Our results suggested that CQ/HCQ was associated with a reduced risk of CVD in patients with rheumatic diseases. Randomized trials are needed to confirm the potential of CQ/HCQ in cardiovascular prevention in patients with and without rheumatic diseases.

[Moar at website]