Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) may be safe for COVID-19 patients
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Published on: October 26, 2020
Wenjun Wang1, Xiaohui Zhao2, Wei Wei3
1The Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Dalian Municipal Central Hospital, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
Insights
Hypertension patients with COVID-19 pneumonia can continue taking angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). These common hypertension medications did not negatively impact COVID-19 recovery or patient outcomes in this study.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Hypertension is a common comorbidity in patients with COVID-19.
- Concerns exist regarding the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) in COVID-19 patients.
- This study investigates the safety and efficacy of ACEIs and ARBs in hypertensive COVID-19 patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effects of ACEI and ARB administration on COVID-19 pneumonia outcomes in hypertensive patients.
- To compare pneumonia progression, hospital stay duration, and key biochemical markers between patients on ACEIs/ARBs and those not.
Main Methods:
- A comparative analysis was conducted on 67 inpatients with hypertension and COVID-19 pneumonia.
- Patients were divided into two groups: Group A (n=22) received ACEIs or ARBs, and Group B (n=45) did not.
- Parameters analyzed included pneumonia progression, length of stay, and levels of ALT, Cr, and CK.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in COVID-19 treatment drug usage between groups.
- Pneumonia progression to severe cases was similar (1 in Group A, 3 in Group B).
- All patients recovered; length of stay and biochemical markers (ALT, Cr, CK) showed no significant differences between groups.
Conclusions:
- ACEIs and ARBs can be safely used in hypertensive patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, following standard treatment guidelines.
- Current treatment regimens for hypertension with ACEIs/ARBs do not require alteration for COVID-19 patients.
- These medications did not adversely affect recovery or clinical outcomes in the context of COVID-19.
Background:
To investigate the effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) administration to hypertension patients with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) induced pneumonia.
Methods:
We recorded the recovery status of 67 inpatients with hypertension and COVID-19 induced pneumonia in the Raytheon Mountain Hospital in Wuhan during February 12, 2020 and March 30, 2020. Patients treated with ACEI or ARBs were categorized in group A (n = 22), while patients who were not administered either ACEI or ARBs were categorized into group B (n = 45). We did a comparative analysis of various parameters such as the pneumonia progression, length-of-stay in the hospital, and the level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), serum creatinine (Cr), and creatine kinase (CK) between the day when these patients were admitted to the hospital and the day when the treatment ended.
Results:
These 67 hypertension cases counted for 33.17% of the total COVID-19 patients. There was no significant difference in the usage of drug treatment of COVID-19 between groups A and B (p > 0.05). During the treatment, 1 case in group A and 3 cases in group B progressed from mild pneumonia into severe pneumonia. Eventually, all patients were cured and discharged after treatment, and no recurrence of COVID-2019 induced pneumonia occurred after the discharge. The length of stays was shorter in group A as compared with group B, but there was no significant difference (p > 0.05). There was also no significant difference in other general parameters between the patients of the groups A and B on the day of admission to the hospital (p > 0.05). The ALT, CK, and Cr levels did not significantly differ between groups A and B on the day of admission and the day of discharge (p > 0.05).
Conclusions:
To treat the hypertension patients with COVID-19 caused pneumonia, anti-hypertensive drugs (ACEs and ARBs) may be used according to the relative guidelines. The treatment regimen with these drugs does not need to be altered for the COVID-19 patients.
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