BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease remains one of the leading causes of death and major causes of disability and loss of productivity in adults worldwide. Inflammation is a key feature of atherosclerosis and its clinical manifestations. Because inflammation plays a key role in atherosclerosis and its end results, discovering new biomarkers of inflammation becomes important to help diagnostic accuracy and provide prognostic information about coronary artery disease (CAD). The eosinophil count and eosinophil-to-leukocyte ratio (ELR), in particular, have become novel biomarkers for risk assessment in patients with CAD. The current study aimed to evaluate the association of ELR with presence of CAD. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value and predictive performance of ELR in patients with suspected CAD. Furthermore, if proven of value, this study aims to use ELR as a biomarker for screening patients at risk for CAD for early prevention and intervention. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study involving a chart review of CAD suspects 40 years or older who underwent elective coronary angiogram from January 2019 to December 2019. Eosinophil-to-leukocyte ratio was calculated by dividing the number of eosinophils by the number of leukocytes. RESULTS: A total of 436 patients were included in this study. With an optimal cutoff value of 0.5 (area under the curve, 0.9911; sensitivity, 96.63%; specificity, 95.27%), ELR demonstrated efficiency in detecting CAD. CONCLUSION Patients with CAD has a higher ELR than those without CAD in the control group. Furthermore, this study supports the positive association of ELR in predicting CAD.
coronary artery disease

INTRODUCTION: The pandemic caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) posed a serious challenge to all health care systems in the world. It has been found to be harmful in people with underlying cardiovascular diseases, particularly in patients with systemic hypertension, which may be due to upregulation of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) expression, which may lead to increased severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virulence. Renin-angiotensin system inhibitor (RASI) acts by blocking the angiotensin-converting enzyme and angiotensin II type 1 receptors, which in turn affects the production of the ACE2 protein. Hence, there have been arguments on whether to continue or discontinue this medication. Given the widespread use of RASIs globally and the fact that they are generally cardioprotective, research into the safety of continuing these maintenance medications in patients hospitalized with mild to moderate COVID-19 is immensely needed. METHODS: This meta-analysis involved review of observational studies among hypertensive patients on maintenance ACE inhibitor or angiotensin-receptor blocker with confirmed mild to moderate COVID-19 infection. Analyses were performed to determine the adjusted hazard ratio of each event using the raw data obtained from each study. Random-effects model and Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel method were utilized at 95% confidence interval. To check for heterogeneity, χ2 test and I2 statistic were calculated. Cochrane ReviewManager (RevMan version 5.3) was used for data analysis, and forest plots were generated. RESULTS: At 95% confidence interval, the adjusted hazard ratios for all-cause mortality and intensive care unit (ICU) admission at 95% confidence interval were 1.64 (1.22, 2.21) and 1.93 (1.34, 2.79), respectively. The tests of overall estimate effect for both outcomes were P < 0.0001 for all-cause mortality and P = 0.0003 for ICU admission. CONCLUSION Discontinuation of maintenance RASI during hospitalization is associated with increased all-cause mortality and ICU admission among hypertensive patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 infection.
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors ; Coronavirus:COVID-19