In the first months of the pandemic, it was repeatedly hypothesized that drugs for hypertension could worsen the clinical outcomes of patients with coronavirus infection. However, the largest meta-analysis refuted this hypothesis. Moreover, it confirmed the importance of drug control of hypertension, especially for people at risk.

According to Medportal.ru, as part of a systematic review, scientists from the UK analyzed data from 52 studies that included data on the clinical outcomes of more than 101,000 patients with COVID-19. The main goal was to assess the relationship between using angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) with an increased risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 coronavirus infection. Both groups of drugs are used to treat hypertension.

Scientists focused on studying data on 26,500 patients who took antihypertensive drugs before infection, paying attention to hospitalizations, including those with the need for mechanical ventilation, and deaths.

In such people, the risk of serious complications and death is significantly lower compared to patients who do not take ACE inhibitors and ARBs. Moreover, according to scientists, it is possible that these drugs may have a protective effect not only for people with the high blood pressure but also for patients with other concomitant diseases.

The study also confirmed that chronic conditions, primarily cardiovascular, kidney and cancer, significantly increase the likelihood of adverse clinical outcomes in COVID-19.