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. 2020 Nov;15(8):1477-1484.
doi: 10.1007/s11739-020-02500-2. Epub 2020 Sep 23.

Neither ACEIs nor ARBs are associated with respiratory distress or mortality in COVID-19 results of a prospective study on a hospital-based cohort

Gian Paolo Anzola  1 , Clara Bartolaminelli  2 , Gina Alessandra Gregorini  3 , Chiara Coazzoli  2 , Francesca Gatti  4 , Alessandra Mora  4 , Dimitrios Charalampakis  4 , Andrea Palmigiano  4 , Michele De Simone  4 , Alice Comini  4 , Erica Dellaglio  4 , Salvatore Cassetti  4 , Maurizio Chiesa  4 , Francesca Spedini  4 , Patrizia d'Ottavi  2 , Maria Cristina Savio  4
Affiliations

Neither ACEIs nor ARBs are associated with respiratory distress or mortality in COVID-19 results of a prospective study on a hospital-based cohort

Gian Paolo Anzola et al. Intern Emerg Med. 2020 Nov.

Abstract

Considerable concern has emerged for the potential harm in the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor inhibitors (ARBs) in COVID-19 patients, given that ACEIs and ARBs may increase the expression of ACE2 receptors that represent the way for coronavirus 2 to entry into the cell and cause severe acute respiratory syndrome. Assess the effect of ACEI/ARBs on outcome in COVID-19 patients. Hospital-based prospective study. A total of 431 patients consecutively presenting at the Emergency Department and found to be affected by COVID-19 were assessed. Relevant clinical and laboratory variables were recorded, focusing on the type of current anti hypertensive treatment. Outcome variables were NO, MILD, SEVERE respiratory distress (RD) operationally defined and DEATH. Hypertension was the single most frequent comorbidity (221/431 = 51%). Distribution of antihypertensive treatment was: ACEIs 77/221 (35%), ARBs 63/221 (28%), OTHER than ACEIs or ARBs 64/221 (29%). In 17/221 (8%) antihypertensive medication was unknown. The proportion of patients taking ACEIs, ARBs or OTHERs who developed MILD or SEVERE RD was 43/77 (56%), 33/53 (52%), 39/64 (61%) and 19/77 (25%), 16/63 (25%) and 16/64 (25%), respectively, with no statistical difference between groups. Despite producing a RR for SEVERE RD of 2.59 (95% CI 1.93-3.49), hypertension was no longer significant in a logistic regression analysis that identified age, CRP and creatinine as the sole independent predictors of SEVERE RD and DEATH. ACEIs and ARBs do not promote a more severe outcome of COVID-19. There is no reason why they should be withheld in affected patients.

Keywords: Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor; Angiotensin receptor blocker; COVID-19.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Proportion of type of outcome per class of treatment. NO no respiratory distress, MILD mild respiratory distress, SEVERE severe respiratory distress, Figures represent no. of patients. Height of each colored box represents the relative contribution to the total
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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