Journal of The Association of Physicians of India ■ Vol. 69 ■ July 2021 28 Efect of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors/Angiotensin Receptor Blockers on COVID-19 outcome: A Record Based Observational Study in West Bengal Arnab Bhattacharyya 1* , Susovan Halder 2 , Tanuka Mandal 3 , Sanjoy Kumar Sadhukhan 4 , Shambo Samrat Samajdar 5 , Santanu K Tripathi 5 , Jyotirmoy Pal 6 , Tanmay Mukhopadhyay 7 , Basudeb Dutta 8 , Gopal Poddar 9 , Manisankar Kabiraj 10 , Dipa Halder 11 , Neepa Chowdhury 12 , Amit Kumar Agrawal 13 1 Sr. Consultant in Dept. of Medicine-North 24 Pgs. District Hospital, Barasat, West Bengal; 2 Consultant Physician, Kasturi Medical Centre, Thakurpukur, Kolkata, West Bengal; 3 Senior Resident Medicine, RG Kar Medical College, Kolkata, West Bengal; 4 Dept. of Epidemiology, All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, Kolkata, West Bengal; 5 Dept. of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology & School of Tropical Medicine, Kolkata, West Bengal; 6 Prof. of Medicine, R.G. Kar Medical College, Kolkata, West Bengal; 7 Assistant Prof. of Dept. of Cardiology, Burdwan Medical College and Hospital, West Bengal; 8 Ex-Asstt. Prof. of Pediatrics, Medical College, Kolkata, West Bengal; 9 MOIC, Dr. JR Dhar SD Hospital Blood Centre, Bongaon, 24pgs(N); 10 MO-CCU-North 24pgs., District Hospital; 11 CMO-SAG-ESIC Hospital and ODC-EZ, Joka, Kolkata, West Bengal; 12 Consultant Biochemist, Dept. of Clinical Biochemistry and Special Immunology, Suraksha Diagnostic Centre, Kolkata, West Bengal; 13 Senior Resident Medicine, North 24 Pgs. District Hospital, Barasat, West Bengal; * Corresponding Author Received: 03.05.2021; Accepted: 20.05.2021 original article As the SARS-COV-2 virus is mainly airborne and it is transmitted from one person to other by their close proximity, recommended preventive measures include wearing a mask, hand-washing, and social distancing. In addition to all these measures, to prevent migration of people, Govt. of India also imposed a strict “Lock-Down” (which had been much debated) on and from 24 th March till 1 st June(when Govt. started unlocking the country-barring the containment zones). Inspite of all these measures, India recorded more than nine million cases with more than hundred thousand deaths (till 15 th December, 2020). 3 Though the Covid-19 pandemic was first confirmed in the state of West Bengal, in Kolkata, on 17 th March,2020; by 9 th December,2020 West Bengal recorded 510951,confirmed cases, 8867 deaths with 478434 recoveries with 23650 active cases(with north 24pgs. and Kolkata being two of the worst affected districts). 4 For the infection to occur (i.e. for virus-host interaction), the polybasic cleavage protein in the spike protein of novel corona virus binds to the Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 receptor (ACE-2) and this ACE-2 is expressed abundantly in the lung alveolus cells(which cause primary respiratory presentation) and also in Abstract Background: Since its first identification in December 2019, in WUHAN (CHINA), SARS-COV-2, causative agent of Corona virus pandemic, has affected millions of people worldwide, causing thousands of death. There is much speculation about the interplay between ACEI/ARB and Corona virus infection, as for internalization into host cell SARS-COV-2 binds through S spike protein to ACE-2, aided TMPRSS2. Methods: A record based observational study has been conducted (data obtained from the clinics of fourteen physicians) in two worst affected districts of West Bengal, to find out the association of ACEI/ARB on patients, suffering from Corona virus infection. The study-protocol has already been approved by Clinical Research Ethics Committee of Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine. (IEC Ref. No: CREC-STM/2020-AS-37) Results: Increasing age, male sex and presence of co-morbidities (viz. Diabetes, COPD) are significantly associated with the occurrence of moderate and severe disease. Drugs (viz. ACEI/ARB), though are associated with less severe disease, have not achieved statistical significance, in the present study. Conclusion: Drugs, like ACEI/ARB, should be continued in patients suffering from COVID-19 infection, (if they are already on these drugs). Introduction T he Covid-19 pandemic (declared by WHO in March 2020),also known as Corona virus Pandemic, is an ongoing pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus- 2(SARS-COV-2) and since its first identification in December 2019,in WUHAN,HUBEI (CHINA), it has affected millions of people worldwide and as on 15th December, 2020,Covid- 19 pandemic has been attributed to 70 million cumulative cases and 1.6 million deaths globally 1 .As WHO declared the outbreak a “Public health Emergency of International Concern”, in January 2020, India recorded its first case of Covid-19 in Kerala on 30 th January,2020 and on 3 rd Feb,2020,there were three cases(all were students returning from WUHAN). Again on 4 th march twenty- two new cases were reported, including fourteen infected members of Italian tourist group, 2 and thereafter the transmission grew after several people (who acted as super spreaders),with travel history to affected countries and their contacts and people attending different religious congregations and family get-together,(and thus travelling from one place to another) fell ill and tested positive.