A new study revealed that the distinct inflammatory predisposition of immune cells in patients with hypertension is associated with critical COVID-19 progression.

The study, published in the journal Nature, carried out vitro experiments to understand the link between severe coronavirus and hypertension.

The study added that the main anti-hypertensive therapy — angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) was associated with dampened COVID-19-related hyperinflammation and with increased cell intrinsic antiviral responses.

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While another antihypertensive therapy called angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) was related to enhanced epithelial–immune cell interactions.

The researchers added that patients with hypertension, in particular under ARB treatment, exhibited higher expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Hypertensive patients with Covid-19 are more likely to develop severe pneumonia or organ damage than patients without hypertension, the authors of the study noted.

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The researchers wrote, “Our results showed that patients with hypertensive disease had an increased risk for critical Covid-19. This risk was lower in ACEI/ARB-treated patients. ACEI treatment almost entirely abolished the additional risk related to hypertension, whereas ARB treatment was associated with only a reduced risk.”

Furthermore, they also suggested that ARB but not ACEI treatment was associated with delayed SARS-CoV-2 clearance from the body.

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