Use of Drugs for Hypertension or Heart Failure and the Risk of Death in COVID-19: Association with Loop-Diuretics

To study the association between the use of drugs for hypertension or heart failure, particularly diuretics, and risk of death in COVID-19. We conducted a cohort study, based on record linked individual-based data from national registers, of all Swedish inhabitants 50 years and older (n = 3,909,321) at the start of the first SARS-CoV-2 wave in Sweden. The association between use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI), angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB), thiazides, loop diuretics, aldosterone antagonists, beta blocking agents and calcium channel blockers at the index date 6 March 2020, and death in COVID-19 during 7 March to 31 July 2020, was analysed using Cox-proportional hazards regression, adjusted for a wide range of possible confounders. Use of loop diuretics was associated with higher risk [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.26; 95