Why the Use of Angiotensin II May Be a Fatal Mistake in Covid-19

摘要

While the understanding (Fig. ) and evidence of the novel strain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is growing at an exponential rate, the speculation of potential therapies continues to outpace what is known. This has led many to draw clinical conclusions from inadequate data sets from publications with small sample sizes in a patient population with medical conditions that are also not currently well understood. Because SARS-CoV-2 relies heavily on the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) 2 pathway, many investigators have generated hypotheses that consider augmentation of this system as a potential treatment option ( – ). We read with interest the article recently published by Busse et al. suggesting a potential benefit of the use of angiotensin II and more recently by Sanders et al., omitting this recommendation, within critically ill populations afflicted with SARS-CoV-2 ( , ).