Magnesium Supplementation for Preventing Sudden Cardiac Death by COVID-19 Viroporins in Patients with Pre-Existing Hypertension

Led by Jin O-Uchi, MD, PhD, FAHA, FCVS, assistant professor, Department of Medicine, this study will address:

• why COVID-19 patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease have a higher risk for severe illness and death
• how we can acquire immediate and actionable outcomes to reduce this risk using available resources and approaches.

“Our major objective is to test our hypothesis that expression of viral ion channels encoded by SARS-CoV-2 genes in the heart increases the risk of sudden cardiac death and cardiac damage in COVID-19 patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease, especially with hypertension, which is reported as a most frequent cardiovascular risk factor in COVID-19 cohorts,” said O-Uchi. “Moreover, we will test the efficacy of clinically approved magnesium supplementation for preventing sudden cardiac death in COVID-19 with pre-existing hypertension.

Magnesium’s known cardioprotective effects include anti-arrhythmic, anti-oxidative, and anti-apoptotic effects.

This project is supported by the UMN Campus Public Health Officer's CO:VID (Collaborative Outcomes: Visionary Innovation & Discovery) grants program, which support University of Minnesota faculty to catalyze and energize small-scale research projects designed to address and mitigate the COVID-19 virus and its associated risks.