In a bid to strengthen the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, researchers have found that medication for high blood pressure could improve survival rates and reduce the severity of the infection.

 A new research published in the journal Current Atherosclerosis Reports, indicates that the research team studied 28,000 patients taking antihypertensives—a class of drugs that are used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure).

According to the study, researchers found that the risk of severe Covid-19 illness and death was reduced for patients with high blood pressure who were taking Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) or Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARB).

"At the start of the pandemic, there was concern that specific medications for high blood pressure could be linked with worse outcomes for Covid-19 patients," study lead author Vassilios Vassiliou from the University of East Anglia in the UK was quoted by the media on Monday, August 24. Hence, "We wanted to find out what the impact of these medications is for people with Covid-19," Vassiliou added.

Therefore, the research team studied the outcomes for patients taking antihypertensives -- looking particularly at what they call 'critical' outcomes such as being admitted to intensive care or being put on a ventilator, and death.

"We found that a third of Covid-19 patients with high blood pressure and a quarter of patients overall were taking an ACEi/ARBs," Vassiliou pointed out, "This is likely due to the increased risk of infection in patients with co-morbidities such as cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and diabetes.”

According to various reports, the research team analysed data from 19 studies related to Covid-19 and ACEi and ARB medications which involved more than 28,000 patients making it the largest and most detailed such study to date.

"But the really important thing that we showed was that there is no evidence that these medications might increase the severity of Covid-19 or risk of death," the study authors wrote.

On the contrary, the study authors said that Covid-19 patients with high blood pressure who were taking ACEi/ARB medications were 0.67 times less likely to have a critical or fatal outcome than those not taking these medications.

"Our research provides substantial evidence to recommend continued use of these medications if the patients were taking them already," the study authors noted.