Cardiovascular Disease, Drug Therapy, and Mortality in Covid-19

This multinational observational study analyzed 8,910 hospitalized Covid-19 patients (December 2019–March 2020) to assess associations between cardiovascular disease (CVD), drug therapies (ACE inhibitors, ARBs, statins), and in-hospital mortality. Key findings:

Independent mortality risks: Age >65 (OR 1.93), coronary artery disease (OR 2.70), heart failure (OR 2.48), arrhythmias (OR 1.95), COPD (OR 2.96), and current smoking (OR 1.79).

No harm from ACE inhibitors/ARBs: ACE inhibitor use was associated with lower mortality (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.20–0.54); ARBs showed no significant effect (OR 1.23, 95% CI 0.87–1.74).

Statins: Linked to reduced mortality (OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.24–0.52).

The study alleviated early concerns about ACE inhibitors/ARBs exacerbating Covid-19 severity but cautioned against inferring causality due to observational design.

This multinational observational study analyzed 8,910 hospitalized Covid-19 patients (December 2019–March 2020) to assess associations between cardiovascular disease (CVD), drug therapies (ACE inhibitors, ARBs, statins), and in-hospital mortality. Key findings:

Independent mortality risks: Age >65 (OR 1.93), coronary artery disease (OR 2.70), heart failure (OR 2.48), arrhythmias (OR 1.95), COPD (OR 2.96), and current smoking (OR 1.79).

No harm from ACE inhibitors/ARBs: ACE inhibitor use was associated with lower mortality (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.20–0.54); ARBs showed no significant effect (OR 1.23, 95% CI 0.87–1.74).

Statins: Linked to reduced mortality (OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.24–0.52).

The study alleviated early concerns about ACE inhibitors/ARBs exacerbating Covid-19 severity but cautioned against inferring causality due to observational design.