Impact of hospitalised patients with COVID-19 taking Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System inhibitors: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Inhibitors of the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS) notably Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) or Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARB) have been scrutinised in hypertensive patients hospitalised with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) following some initial data they might adversely affect prognosis. With an increasing number of COVID-19 cases worldwide and the likelihood of a “second wave” of infection it is imperative to better understand the impact RAAS inhibitor use in antihypertensive covid positive hospitalised patients.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of ACEi or ARB in patients admitted with COVID-19 was conducted. PubMed and Embase were searched and six studies were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled analysis demonstrated that 18.3% of the patients admitted with COVID-19 were prescribed ACEi/ARBs (0.183, CI 0.129 to 0.238, p<0.001). The use of RAAS inhibitors did not show any association with ‘critical’ events (Pooled OR 0.833 CI 0.605 to 1.148, p=0.264) or death (Pooled OR 0.650, CI 0.356 to 1.187, p=0.161). In conclusion, our meta-analysis including ‘critical’ events and mortality data on patients prescribed ACEi/ARB and hospitalised with COVID-19, found no evidence to associate ACEi/ARB with death or adverse events.