Antihypertensive Medications and COVID-19 Diagnosis and Mortality: Population-based Case-Control Analysis in the United Kingdom

ObjectivesTo evaluate antihypertensive medications and COVID-19 diagnosis and mortality, accounting for healthcare seeking behaviour.DesignA population-based case control study with additional cohort analysis.SettingPrimary care patients from the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD).Participants16 866 patients with COVID-19 events in the CPRD from 29th January to June 25th 2020 and 70 137 matched controls.Main outcome measuresWe explored associations between COVID-19 diagnosis and prescriptions for angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), beta-blockers (B), calcium-channel blockers (C), thiazide diuretics (D) and other antihypertensive drugs (O). We evaluated all-cause mortality among COVID-19 cases. Analyses were adjusted for covariates and consultation frequency.ResultsIn covariate adjusted analyses, ACEIs were associated with lower odds of COVID-19 diagnosis (0.82, 95% confidence interval 0.77 to 0.88) as were ARBs, 0.87 (0.80 to 0.95) with little attenuation from adjustment for consultation frequency. In fully adjusted analyses, C and D were also associated with lower odds of COVID-19. Increased odds of COVID-19 for B (1.19, 1.12 to 1.26), were attenuated after adjustment for consultation frequency (1.01, 0.95 to 1.08). In adjusted analyses, patients treated with ACEIs or ARBs had similar mortality to patients treated with classes B, C, D or O (1.00, 0.83 to 1.20) or patients receiving no antihypertensive therapy (0.99, 0.83 to 1.18).ConclusionsAssociations were sensitive to adjustment for confounding and healthcare seeking, but there was no evidence that antihypertensive therapy is associated with increased risk of COVID-19 diagnosis or mortality; most classes of antihypertensive therapy showed negative associations with COVID-19 diagnosis.