Renin-Angiotensin System Blocker in COVID-19. A Single Center Study.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Early COVID-19 pandemic concerns arose regarding potential adverse effects of ACEIs/ARBs.
• Concerns were linked to animal studies showing increased ACE-2 expression with ACEI/ARB treatment.
• This study aimed to clarify the impact of these medications on COVID-19 patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between ACEI/ARB use and in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients.
• To assess the impact of ACEI/ARB use on ICU admission, hemodialysis, and mechanical ventilation requirements.
• To determine if ACEI/ARB use is associated with worse outcomes in hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 patients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of 289 hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
• Comparison of outcomes between patients using ACEIs/ARBs and non-users.
• Multivariate logistic regression analysis to adjust for confounding factors.

Main Results:

• Unadjusted analysis showed higher mortality in ACEI/ARB users (32.9% vs. 15.2%).
• Multivariate analysis revealed no significant difference in all-cause in-hospital mortality (P=0.7141).
• No significant differences were observed in ICU admission, hemodialysis, or mechanical ventilation rates between groups.

Conclusions:

• ACEI/ARB use in COVID-19 patients was not associated with increased all-cause in-hospital mortality after adjusting for confounders.
• The study suggests that ACEIs and ARBs do not significantly worsen critical outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
• Findings help alleviate early pandemic-related concerns about these commonly prescribed medications.