scholarly journals Mortality, Severity, and Hospital Admission Among COVID-19 Patients with ACEI/ARB Use: A Meta-analysis Stratifying Countries Based on Response to the First Wave of the Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Alamer ◽  
Abdulaziz Almulhim ◽  
Ahmed Alrashed ◽  
Ivo Abraham

Abstract BackgroundThe use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) is controversial for treating COVID-19 patients. We aimed to estimate pooled risks of mortality, disease severity, and hospitalization associated with ACEI/ARB use and stratify them by country and country clusters. MethodsWe conducted a search in various databases through 7/4/2020 and then applied random-effects models to estimate pooled risks (ORp) across stratifications by country cluster. Clusters were chosen to reflect outbreak times (China followed by Korea/Italy, others subsequently) and mobility restrictions (China and Denmark/France/Spain with stricter lockdowns than the UK/US). ResultsOverall analysis showed no increase in mortality; however, a statistical increase in mortality was seen in the US/UK cluster with ORp=1.28[95%CI=1.04; 1.56] and a decrease in China with ORp=0.65[95%CI=0.43; 0.96] and France with OR=0.31[95%CI=0.14; 0.69]. Severity and hospitalization were not statistically significant in the analysis; however, several associations were seen in specific countries but not in country clusters. ConclusionThe country-cluster meta-analysis provided a reasonable explanation for COVID-19 mortality among ACEI/ARB users. The analysis did not explain differences in severity and suggested the involvement of other factors. Hospitalization findings may be considered informative as they may have been subjected to clinical decisions and hospital-bed availability.

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 127
Author(s):  
Ahmad A. Alamer ◽  
Abdulaziz S. Almulhim ◽  
Ahmed A. Alrashed ◽  
Ivo Abraham

Background: The use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) is controversial for treating COVID-19 patients. We aimed to estimate pooled risks of mortality, disease severity, and hospitalization associated with ACEI/ARB use and stratify them by country and country clusters. Methods: We conducted a search in various databases through 4 July 2020 and then applied random-effects models to estimate pooled risks (ORp) across stratifications by country cluster. Clusters were chosen to reflect outbreak times (China followed by Korea/Italy, others subsequently) and mobility restrictions (China and Denmark/France/Spain with stricter lockdowns than the UK/US). Results: Overall analysis showed no increase in mortality; however, a statistical increase in mortality was seen in the US/UK cluster with ORp = 1.28 [95% CI = 1.04; 1.56] and a decrease in China with ORp = 0.65 [95% CI = 0.43; 0.96] and France with OR = 0.31 [95% CI = 0.14; 0.69]. Severity and hospitalization were not statistically significant in the analysis; however, several associations were seen in specific countries but not in country clusters. Conclusion: The country-cluster meta-analysis provided a reasonable explanation for COVID-19 mortality among ACEI/ARB users. The analysis did not explain differences in severity and suggested the involvement of other factors. Hospitalization findings among ACEI/ARB users may be considered informative as they may have been subjected to clinical decisions and hospital-bed availability.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 147032032098132
Author(s):  
Yang Xue ◽  
Shaoqing Sun ◽  
Jianing Cai ◽  
Linwen Zeng ◽  
Shihui Wang ◽  
...  

Background: The clinical use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) and angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARB) in patients with COVID-19 infection remains controversial. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis on the effects of ACEI/ARB on disease symptoms and laboratory tests in hypertensive patients infected with COVID-19 virus and those who did not use ACEI/ARB. Methods: We systematically searched the relevant literatures from Pubmed, Embase, EuropePMC, CNKI, and other databases during the study period of 31 December 2019 (solstice, 15 March 2020), and analyzed the differences in symptoms and laboratory tests between patients with COVID-19 and hypertension who used ACEI/ARB drugs and those who did not. All statistical analyses were performed with REVMAN5.3. Results: We included a total of 1808 patients with hypertension diagnosed with COVID-19 in six studies. Analysis results show that ACEI/ARB drugs group D-dimer is lower (SMD = −0.22, 95%CI: −0.36 to −0.06), and the chances of getting fever is lower (OR = 0.74, 95%CI: 0.55 to 0.98). Meanwhile, laboratory data and symptoms were not statistical difference, but creatinine tends to rise (SMD = 0.22, 95% CI: 0.04 to 0.41). Conclusion: We found that the administration of ACEI/ARB drugs had positive effect on reducing D-dimer and the number of people with fever. Meanwhile it had no significant effect on other laboratory tests (creatinine excepted) or symptoms in patients with COVID-19, while special attention was still needed in patients with renal insufficiency.


2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 123-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Megaly ◽  
Mattew Glogoza

The use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs) in patients with Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) has been controversial. We performed a meta-analysis of all published studies that reported the outcomes of ACEIs/ARBs in patients with COVID-19. We included four observational studies (3,267 patients). The use of ACEIs/ARBs was associated with a similar risk of all-cause death (OR: 0.75, 95% CI [0.36, 1.57], p = 0.45). Sensitivity analysis including only hypertensive patients demonstrated a lower risk of death with ACEIs/ARBs use (OR: 0.57, 95% CI [0.32-0.98], p = 0.04). In conclusion, hypertensive patients with COVID-19 treated with ACEIs/ARBS have a lower mortality but further research is needed.


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