I have AF together with three leaky heart valves, two of which are mild.

[Greenfarm]

How vulnerable am I with regard to Coronavirus ? I take an anticoagulant - Apixaban and a beta blocker Bisoprolol.

[Greenfarm]

Are you saying that taking a beta blocker would actually make the effects of the virus worse?

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Greenfarm]

Beta blockers are not Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors

They are both used to relax the blood vessels and lower blood pressure but act in different ways.

There is at present no robust evidence to show that ACE inhibitors or any other heart drug has any effect on how an individual is effected by coronavirus.

It is really important not to stop taking any medication without discussing this with your GP or Cardiologist first

bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/news-...

[Petmad5]

As it acts on ace inhibitors, yes.

I’m in your position, it’s scary.

Follow good hand hygiene, wear masks and gloves.

Isolate

I’m on the government vulnerable list and three months at home is very difficult but totally necessary

[Greenfarm in reply to Petmad5]

Thank you for that information as I wasn’t aware of the beta blocker issue. I am always very careful so fingers crossed.

[Milkfairy Heart Star]

This is misleading and potentially harmful information

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

[Greenfarm in reply to Milkfairy]

Thank you for your reply.

[Greenfarm in reply to Milkfairy]

Thank you for your input - it is appreciated.

[Petmad5 in reply to Milkfairy]

....in your opinion, milkfairy, which I do totally respect, but I have read medical articles ( not wacky American journals btw) supporting The content.

. Just because you may not have read similar articles doesn’t make a comment or opinion misleading or potentially harmful, for that makes it sound that the good people on this wonderful forum aren’t savvy enough to consult their cardio teams.

The members here ask for opinions or feedback , are often scared or curious etc , but will know their gp or cardiologist must ultimately be consulted.

Stay safe x

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Petmad5]

This is the advice issued by the BHF which is a source of evidence based information .

" Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, said:

“We’d strongly advise people to continue taking all their medications unless advised differently by their doctor.

“It’s understandable that newspaper headlines like this can make people feel uncertain about their blood pressure and heart failure medicines, especially at such an unsettling time. The medical profession has a number of expert groups who have reviewed the scientific information and they are agreed that there is a lack of evidence to support speculation that ACE inhibitors and Angiotensin Receptor Blockers increase the chances of severe COVID-19 infections.

“What is clear, is that stopping your medication could be dangerous and could make your condition worse. "

[Greenfarm in reply to Milkfairy]

Thank you

[Greenfarm in reply to Petmad5]

It’s good to have opinions from different sources and I thank all who have taken the time to reply . Our own health profession are probably the best source of information as they deal with our personal situation. The difficulty is that they’re not easy to contact for advice.

[Helen_BHF]

Hi there, you might find this article from the BHF helpful - it analyses some of the news coverage you may have seen about certain heart medications and coronavirus.

It’s really important that you continue to take your medication as prescribed, unless advised differently by your doctor.

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...