There is no clinically significant increased risk of COVID-19 diagnosis or hospital admission-related outcomes associated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) medications, according to a study published in the Lancet Digital Health.
The study used electronic health records to identify 1,355,349 antihypertensive users aged 18 years or older with at least one prescription for ACEIs and ARBs (target cohort) or calcium channel blockers (CCBs) and thiazide or thiazide-like diuretics (THZs; comparator cohort). Users were defined separately as receiving either monotherapy with these four drug classes, or monotherapy or combination therapy (combination use) with other antihypertensive medications. The outcomes assessed were COVID-19 diagnosis, hospital admission with COVID-19, hospital admission with pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute kidney injury, or sepsis.
The results show that ACEI and ARB use does not confer an increased risk of any of the outcomes studied compared with people taking calcium channel blockers and thiazide or thiazide-like diuretics.
These findings are in line with medicines regulatory and clinical society recommendations that patients should not alter their treatment with these medicines to reduce their COVID-19 risk, the authors conclude.
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