The HCQ is used for autoimmune disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus and referred to be a safe and well-tolerated drug(Tang, Godfrey, Stawell & Nikpour, 2012). It is also known to reduce the cardiovascular risks in rheumatoid arthritis patients(Sharma et al., 2016). On the other hand, it inhibits the voltage-gated sodium and potassium channels and prolongs repolarization (QTc interval) of the cardiac cycle that might increase the risk of Torsade de Pointes (TdP) and sudden cardiac arrest(Chorin et al., 2020; Jankelson, Karam, Becker, Chinitz & Tsai, 2020; Meeting, 2017). Based on these cardiac events and insufficient evidence of efficacy, concerns and restrictions are increasing for its use in COVID-19 in all over the world. Serious adverse cardiac events related to HCQ use in treatment and prophylaxis were reported from recent studies(Ramireddy et al., 2020; Zengin R, 2020).
In this study, we aimed to describe the QTc prolongation and related cardiac events, associated with HCQ in patients with COVID-19.