Comorbid conditions Asthma 2280 323 (14.2) <.001 Cancer 348 73 (21.0) <.001 Cardiovascular disease 437 91 (20.8) <.001 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 798 116 (14.5) <.001 Dementia 85 15 (17.7) .02 Diabetes 1440 288 (20.0) <.001 HIV 71 9 (12.7) .90 Hypertension 1271 274 (21.6) <.001 Liver disease 235 60 (25.5) <.001 Obesity 3727 543 (14.6) <.001 Kidney disease 225 54 (24.0) <.001 a Percentages indicates the row percentage. A total of 1809 exposed individuals were infected. b P values were calculated with either the χ 2 or Mantel-Haenszel χ 2 test for trend. Author affiliations and article information are listed at the end of this article.

Background Use of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) has been hypothesized to affect COVID-19 risk. Objective To examine the association between use of ACEI/ARB and household transmission of COVID-19. Methods We conducted a modified cohort study of household contacts of patients who tested positive for COVID-19 between March 4 and May 17, 2020 in a large Northeast US health system. Household members were identified by geocoding and full address matching with exclusion of addresses with >10 matched residents or known congregate living functions. Medication use, clinical conditions and sociodemographic characteristics were obtained from electronic medical record (EMR) data on cohort entry. Cohort members were followed for at least one month after exposure to determine who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Mixed effects logistic regression and propensity score analyses were used to assess adjusted associations between medication use and testing positive. Results 1,499 of the 9,101 household contacts were taking an ACEI or an ARB. Probability of COVID-19 diagnosis during the study period was slightly higher among ACEI/ARB users in unadjusted analyses. However, ACEI/ARB users were older and more likely to have clinical comorbidities so that use of ACEI/ARB was associated with a decreased risk of being diagnosed with COVID-19 in mixed effect models (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.44–0.81) or propensity score analyses (predicted probability 18.6% in ACEI/ARB users vs. 24.5% in non-users, p = 0.03). These associations were similar within age and comorbidity subgroups, including patients with documented hypertension, diabetes or cardiovascular disease, as well as when including other medications in the models. Conclusions In this observational study of household transmission, use of ACEIs or ARBs was associated with a decreased risk of being diagnosed with COVID-19. While causality cannot be inferred from these observational data, our results support current recommendations to continue ACEI/ARB in individuals at risk of COVID-19 exposure.

BACKGROUND: Racism negatively impacts health and well-being. Members of the medical community must intervene to address racism. OBJECTIVE: To assess whether attitudes about the impact of racism on health or society are associated with intervening around racism. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey of a large department of medicine in an urban academic setting. PARTICIPANTS: Interns, residents, fellows, and faculty. MAIN MEASURES: The primary outcome was the likelihood of intervening around an observed racist encounter or a racist policy. Predictor variables included age, gender identity, race/ethnicity, and attitudes about racism. KEY RESULTS: Although the majority of the 948 respondents endorsed the impact of racism on health and other societal effects, levels of endorsement were lower among older individuals, or those reporting male gender identity or selecting other race. Higher endorsement of the impact of racism on health was associated with increased odds of speaking up about a racist encounter or racist policy, with odds ratios from 1.18 to 1.30 across scenarios. Likelihood of speaking up about racism did not differ by racial or ethnic group, but older individuals were generally more likely to speak up and individuals between 20 and 29 years of age were more likely to speak with someone other than leadership or the source of a racist encounter. CONCLUSIONS: Awareness of the effects of racism on health is associated with increased likelihood of intervening when a racist encounter is observed or a racist policy is noted. Including information on the impact of racism on health and creating safe spaces to discuss racism may increase the likelihood of bystander intervention in antiracism strategies.