Effect of clinical progress in antihypertensive medications among COVID-19 patients

Objective: Many chronic diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, and coronary heart disease, paving the way for the disease to progress unfavorably in Covid-19. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin-2 receptor blockers (ARBs) can upregulate ACE2 receptors (which SARS-COV-2 uses to enter the host cell) or protect against infection by limiting the effects of Angiotensin 2. This study aimed to reveal the impact of antihypertensive drugs on the hospital staying, and mortality in Covid-19 patients followed in the hospital. Methods and Results: One hundred patients were randomly selected with hypertension, diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease hospitalized in Kayseri City Training and Research Hospital due to Covid-19 infection. Patients were grouped as taking ACEIs and ARBs group and not taking ACEIs and ARBs group. There were no differences among the groups in terms of the frequency of chronic disease and treatment modalities. The length of the hospital stays, bedding into the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and mortality rates were higher in the group without ACEIs or ARBs. Mortality was significantly lower among patients who used ACEIs and ARBs (P=0.00, P=0.02, respectively) and incredibly high among beta-blocker users (P=0.00). It was found that the advanced age, male gender and use of beta-blockers were associated with mortality. Conclusion: Although antihypertensive medications are allegedly associated with increased mortality rates, the risk of mortality has not been detected in people taking ACEIs and ARBs. Further studies involving a greater number of patients are needed.