IN-HOSPITAL CONTINUATION WITH ANGIOTENSIN RECEPTOR BLOCKERS IS ASSOCIATED WITH A LOWER MORTALITY RATE THAN CONTINUATION WITH ANGIOTENSIN CONVERTING ENZYME INHIBITORS IN COVID-19 PATIENTS: A RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

Background

Several studies have reported a reduced risk of death associated with the inpatient use of angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) in COVID-19 patients, but have been criticized for incurring in several types of bias. Also, most studies have pooled ACEIs and ARBs as if they were a unique group, overlooking their pharmacological differences. We aimed to assess whether the in-hospital continuation of ARBs and ACEIs, in regular users of these drugs, was associated with a reduced risk of death as compared to their discontinuation and also to compare head-to-head ARBs with ACEIs.

Methods

Adult patients with a PCR-confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 requiring admission during March, 2020 were consecutively selected from 7 hospitals in Madrid, Spain. Among them, we identified outpatient users of ACEIs/ARBs and divided them in two cohorts depending on treatment discontinuation/continuation at admission. Then, they were followed-up until discharge or in-hospital death. An intention-to-treat survival analysis was carried out and hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95%CI were computed through a Cox regression model adjusted for propensity scores of discontinuation and controlled by potential mediators.

Results

Out of 625 ACEI/ARB users, 340(54.4%) discontinued treatment. The in-hospital mortality rates were 27.6% and 27.7% in discontinuation and continuation cohorts, respectively (HR=1.01; 95%CI:0.70-1.46). No difference in mortality was observed between ARB and ACEI discontinuation (28.6% vs. 27.1%, respectively), while a significantly lower mortality rate was found among patients who continued with ARBs (20.8%,N=125) as compared to those who continued with ACEIs (33.1%,N=136; p=0.03). The head-to-head comparison (ARB vs. ACEI continuation) yielded an adjusted HR of 0.52 (95%CI:0.29-0.93), being especially notorious among males (HR=0.34; 95%CI:0.12-0.93), subjects older than 74 years (HR=0.46; 95%CI:0.25-0.85), and patients with obesity (HR=0.22; 95%CI:0.05-0.94), diabetes (HR=0.36; 95%CI:0.13-0.97) and heart failure (HR=0.12; 95%CI:0.03-0.97).

Conclusions

Among regular users of ARBs admitted for COVID-19, the in-hospital continuation with them was associated with an improved survival, while this was not observed with ACEIs. Regular users of ARBs should continue with this treatment if admitted for COVID-19, unless medically contraindicated. In admitted ACEI users, a switching to ARBs should be considered, especially among high-risk patients.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT