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UNITED STATES.- Recent clinical studies on the behavior of the coronavirus pandemic They have revealed that medications prescribed to treat high blood pressure do not make patients more susceptible to Covid-19 infection, or to serious illness if they become infected.
According to new research published by The New England Journal of Medicine, and similar findings from China that were published last week in JAMA Cardiology no related risk found with three other classes of commonly used blood pressure medications: beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, and thiazide diuretics.
Both studies were based on examination of patient records, which does not provide as strong evidence as the results of controlled clinical trials, in which patients are chosen at random to take a treatment or another.
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Concerns about medications arose early in the epidemic when reports from China indicated that people with hypertension seemed to be doing poorly, and it seemed logical investigate whether the cause was the condition itself or if blood pressure medications were somehow making patients more vulnerable.
Additionally, animal studies have shown that angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBS) and ACE inhibitors could increase the levels in some tissues of a protein called ACE2, which turns out to be the substance the virus clings to. when it invades cells. Theoretically, higher levels of that protein in the lungs could help the virus attack by acting as additional handles, some scientists have warned. But it is not known whether the medications really raise ACE2 in the lungs humans.
Medications Relieve, Not Worsen Covid-19 Infection
Scientific research revealed that evidence from animal studies suggests the opposite effect: Medications could quell inflammation in the lungs and reduce the risk of serious diseases in patients with coronavirus. A controlled trial is about to begin to find out if ACE inhibitors can help Covid-19 patients, the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine announced.
Not surprisingly, patients are confused and restless. Medical societies have urged calm, saying that people should stick to their medications because the high blood pressure increases risks of heart disease, stroke and kidney damage. But societies also called for an investigation into the matter, and fears have persisted.
“I am concerned because I have received calls from many patients asking me if they should stop taking their medications or switch to something else, and some even stopped taking their medications without consulting me, “Harmony Reynolds, associate director of the cardiovascular research center at Grossman School of Medicine at New York University, said in an interview.
