These drugs are common treatments for blood pressure and have been the subject of much discussion on social media.
Government Statement on ACE Inhibitor... - British Heart Fou...
Government Statement on ACE Inhibitors and ARBs
MichaelJHHeart Star
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MichaelJH
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Nice share...may alleviate some anxiety those of us on either of these meds may have had. 👍🏻
Thank.you for posting Michael! Fakebook is full of false information! 
This advice is entirely predictable, we don't want everyone stopping their meds and expiring from heart issues, however it still doesn't explain away the circumstantial evidence from Italy.
76% of fatalies in Italy had high blood pressure as their underlying health issue, however it doesn't go as far as identifying the meds these people were taking.
Also the article in the Lancet (not Fakebook) gives conflicting advice.
This makes it more important than ever to do everything you can to protect yourself from picking up this bug.
Stay safe.
thelancet.com/journals/lanr...
The keyword is "hypothesis"! More data should be available for more detailed analysis and I await their findings...
That was exactly my thoughts Michael. This has been completed debunked, I'm surprised people are still reading it
Nothing can be debunked at this stage, it’s too early. It’s also too early to call it. Of course no one should just stop medication!! But links have been seen to high blood pressure and it makes sense to see if it could be the meds rather than just the condition. You’re surprised people are still reading this???? Is that because it was published a whole 18 days ago 😃
I'm surprised because it has already been debunked by very many cardiologists ! As Michael has said the key word word is 'hypothesis'. There is absolutely no proof whatsoever.
That’s just crazy! Other countries that are way ahead of us with the virus are giving us information on what they have found. The virus is a totally new to us so no one can say hand on heart that anything will make it worse or better at this stage!! But no, you’d rather ignore Italy and China with their data. That’s fine by me. Have a lovely day.
It is a complex fast moving situation.
The Italians who sadly died were more likely to be older, male and overweight with associated raised blood pressure and other health conditions.
It may well be too simplistic to say that one single factor such as a particular medication or intervention is overtly causing problems.
Stay safe and stay well everyone
Isn't that also the case with the Chinese? Very unhealthy lifestyles, overweight with high blood pressure, heart conditions but not taking meds?
Also a high incidence of smoking too.
From the China data they also said men were more at risk. But the percentage of Chinese men that smoke is 10 times higher than women. This suggests respiratory conditions (e.g. COPD) are a major factor! Diabetes is also a risk factor. As a long term Type I (next landmark 60 years) diabetic this was of interest to me. Many older diabetics are Type II who frequently are overweight/obese and have other issues like raised blood pressure, raised cholesterol and cardiovascular disease.
The Italian study was based on a such a small group as to be no more than "of interest". There have been thousands of deaths since and I await the analysis. I find the phrase "underlying conditions" frustrating!
You’re right it is too fast moving to say what is safe and what isn’t, but I don’t think placating ourselves with “ oh but they were old fat and unhealthy “ is enough personally. Each to their own though.
It hasn't been debunked, it just hasn't been proven.
Then perhaps the best people to listen to is your medical team!
I am taking 7.5mg Ramipril.
I called my GP about this and he said it was just a lot of nonesense from the press, but went rather defensive when I said it was from the Lancet, and they had a clear hypothesis about to why people taking ACE-2 increasing meds were potentially at a higher risk of developing the severe form of Covid-19 infection, all hypothesis but that's where all investigations start.
This issue has been covered many times on this site. At the end of the day it's your choice who or what you believe.
The absolute main thing is wash hands throughly and socially distance yourself, and hopefully we'll all get through regardless of whatever meds we may take. ☺
Yes, agreed, as I said in my first post above, if you are taking these meds it is sensible to be extra careful about avoiding any possible exposure to this bug....just in case.
Hope this link helps those of you who are worried about covid 19 and your meds. There is absolutely no proof that your meds make you more at risk,
Ive also got arthritis along with my high blood pressure and my Gp sent me a link to the vulnerable link on government website.
Have you registered?
Yes I have. My pills are getting delivered through boots.
That's how it should work, Don't forget you can also get shopping delivered to you.
Yes I no. Already sorted that out too.
Good, stay safe
Ending up in hospital because we have stopped taking our medication is the last thing we or the NHS need. For now I will take all new information onboard and continue with my 10mg Ramipril and doing everything possible not to contract this thing, stay well everyone.
The government statement is not evidence based, and could equally be worded as "there is no evidence to to suggest that ACE inhibitors/ARB blockers do not increase morbidity and mortality in SARS-COV-2 infection. Given that these drugs increase the expression of ACE2 five-fold, concern is entirely justified, and it is vital that data from the many cov-19 cases worldwide are analysed to provide an evidence based answer. Furthermore, the Lancet publication in which this issue was raised did not state that patients should stop taking anti-hypertensive medication, it did in fact suggest switching from one class of drug to another. The government statement also seems to be in conflict with preliminary data .... "Furthermore, preliminary available data from infected patients illustrate that patients treated with angiotensin-II inhibitors (ACE-I)/angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) exhibit severe symptoms with a higher mortality rate as compared to non-user counterparts". [ references 6, 7, & 8 in: journals.physiology.org/doi... ]
I had a call from my cardiac nurse on Saturday to check on how I am doing, and especially to make sure that I am continuing to take all my medication, as a follow up appointment is likely to be a long way off.
There are too many unknowns for any of us to be making our own judgements; we need to trust our doctors' advice and follow the guidelines on staying safe.
For me, my fears are more for my children and their families. They include a Police officer, a hospital worker and a food retailer, all in the front line and all with small children at home.
The risks for them are far greater than the possible risk to me from an ACE inhibitor, and while I object to those who are inclined to say
' Oh well they were old and had underlying health conditions ' , I would rather be one of those statistics....
Am I missing something here ?
This only becomes a Possible Issue should you have the Virus, so for the Millions of us who are not going to come into contact with the virus, it doesn't really matter it's just Academic !!
Stay Well Stay Safe
in reply to Prada47
Thanks for your succinct comments. My rambling was aimed in a similar direction, but you nailed it.
It's the people who are out in the community doing vital work we should be worrying about
Thank-you for this useful link.
I Think It is very interested the article in teh times on line this morning, although not specific to ACE, it's all about the current data and how different countries and the analysis is carried out, its was almost a positive note about what we read generally and worth a view. age, underlying health conditions medication, it's all about how its reported and although the situation is drastic frightening and of global concern, there is al lot reporting that needs to be put forward in a specific format to get real data.
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