Bean (2020)
Treatment with ACE-inhibitors is associated with less severe disease with SARS-Covid-19 infection in a multi-site UK acute Hospital Trust
https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.07.20056788
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.07.20056788v1
Comorbidities
Hypertension (Present vs. Not present)
COVID-19 (severe/fatal)
Odds ratio: 2.100 (0.900-4.800) Adjusted model

United Kingdom

Retrospective observational study

Medical records

205

An early cohort of 205 acute inpatients with COVID-19 at King’s College Hospital and Princess Royal University Hospital, London, UK

205 confirmed positive symptomatic inpatients aged 63+20 (SD) years and 52% males. Baseline characteristics are 51·2% with hypertension, 30·2% with diabetes and 14·6% with ischaemic heart disease or heart failure. Of the 205 patients, 53 patients died or required critical care support within 7 days of symptoms and 152 patients did not. The inclusion criteria of only patients needing admission is likely why this critical outcome figure is relatively high (25·9%) compared to fatality rate in population studies but is comparable to hospital case series.17 14% (5/37) patients with exposure to an ACE-inhibitor died or required critical care support compared to 29% (48/168) for patients without such exposure.

Total

7 Day


COVID-19 (severe/fatal)

53

Death or admission to a critical care unit for organ-support within 7 days of symptoms onset (symptoms defined as fever, cough, dyspnoea, myalgia, chest pain or delirium). Patients were stratified according to drug exposure to ACEi or ARB within 7 days before symptoms or during inpatient treatment (prior to an endpoint being reached).


Comorbidities

Hypertension

Early data from China during the SARS-Cov2 pandemic suggest that patients with hypertension or diabetes have an increased risk of severe COVID-19 disease. hypertension, 30·2% with ischaemic heart dis

Not present

Present


Odds ratio

2.100 (0.900-4.800)

No

No

Yes

ACEi, Age and gender, diabetes, hypertension, ischaemic heart disease or heart failure (Model 3)


Based on these early results and the absence of any evidence suggesting harm,patients on treatment with ACE-inhibitors should continue these drugs during their COVID-19 illness as per current guidelines. Active research is merited on whether ACE inhibition or enhancement of ACE2 may have a therapeutic role in severe COVID-19 disease.

Good

Yes