Antihypertensive treatment with ACEI

Currently, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has spread to many countries around the world. Due to the increasing number of confirmed cases and public hazards, COVID-19 has become a public health emergency of international concern and has received much attention from health organizations worldwide.At present, the pathogenesis of COVID-19 has not been elucidated [1]. However, a preliminary study speculated that it might enter the human body via angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) on the surfaces of type II alveolar cells[2]. Analysis of the clinical characteristics of patients with COVID-19 suggested that patients with hypertension comprised 20–30% of all patients and up to 58.3% of patients in the intensive care unit and have been responsible for 60.9%of deaths caused by COVID-19. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays an important role in the occurrence and development of hypertension, and ACE inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor antagonists (ARBs) are the main antihypertensive drugs recommended by the current guidelines. Therefore, what should be done in regard to ACEI/ARB for the antihypertensive treatment of patients with COVID-19 complicated by hypertension? We will conduct a specific analysis as follows.