Cardiovascular Drugs Do Not Impact COVID-19 Outcomes

Cardiovascular drugs do not affect COVID-19 outcomes, according to a review published online June 7 in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

Innocent G. Asiimwe, from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to evaluate the association between cardiovascular drug exposure and COVID-19 clinical outcomes (susceptibility to infection, disease severity, hospitalization, hospitalization length, and all-cause mortality).

Based on 429 and 390 studies included in the qualitative and quantitative syntheses, respectively, the researchers found that among COVID-19 patients, unadjusted estimates showed that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI)/angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) exposure was associated with hospitalization (odds ratio [OR], 1.76), disease severity (OR, 1.40), and all-cause mortality (OR, 1.22). However, in an adjusted analysis, ACEI/ARB exposure was not associated with confirmed COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, disease severity, or all-cause mortality. Findings were similar in subgroup analyses involving only hypertensive patients, although ACEI/ARB exposure was associated with decreased odds of dying (OR, 0.76).

"Cardiovascular drugs are not associated with poor COVID-19 outcomes in adjusted analyses," the authors write. "Patients should continue taking these drugs as prescribed."

One author disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.