MEDICINE taken by millions of people could increase the risk of catching coronavirus, scientists have warned.

Certain blood pressure drugs have the potential to change the shape of a person's cells and make it easier for the bug to infect them.

The pills - called angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor drugs (ACE) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB)- are used to treat diabetes or high blood pressure.

Figures show the most common in England are Ramipril, Losartan, Lisinopril and Candesartan, and were prescribed almost 65 million times last year.

According to a paper published in the British medical journal The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, the new coronavirus - named Covid-19, can latch itself onto human cells and infect them.

This could cause more severe illness, according to the scientists from University Hospital Basel, in Switzerland, and the University of Thessaloniki in Greece.

However the researchers have cautioned that their findings don't prove a link between the drugs and severe cases of the disease, so further studies are needed.

And a doctor has strongly advised anyone on heart medications not to stop or change these without discussion with their doctor.

The article claims that Covid-19 can latch onto something inside the body's cells known as angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

Some people with high blood pressure or diabetes have to take medication to increase the amount of ACE2 in their cells to control their conditions.

The research was carried out by looking at other studies of coronavirus patients with severe forms of the illness.

They found that the most common illnesses were high blood pressure (23.7 per cent), diabetes (16.2 per cent) and heart disease (5.8 per cent).

The team then studied how Covid-19 and its nearest cousin, SARS, attach to cells inside the body.

They theorised that blood pressure drugs could make this process easier for these viruses.

Dr Roth's team also suggested thatpeople with diabetes and high blood pressure might be more at risk because of changes in their genes which make them produce more ACE2 naturally.

They wrote: "We suggest that patients with cardiac diseases, hypertension [high blood pressure], or diabetes, who are treated with ACE2-increasing drugs, are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 infection and, therefore, should be monitored."

Dr Michael Roth, from the University of Basel, who led the research, said:"These data suggest that ACE2 expression is increased in diabetes and treatment with ACE inhibitors and ARBs increases ACE2 expression.

We hypothesise that diabetes and high blood pressure treatment with ACE2-stimulating drugs increases the risk of developing severe and fatal Covid-19

"Consequently, the increased expression of ACE2 would facilitate infection with COVID-19.

"We therefore hypothesise that diabetes and hypertension [high blood pressure] treatment with ACE2-stimulating drugs increases the risk of developing severe and fatal Covid-19.

"If this hypothesis were to be confirmed, it could lead to a conflict regarding treatment."

But doctors have warned that the findings were not proof of a link between the drugs and patients should continue taking their medication.

He told MailOnline: "This letter does not report the results of a study; it simply raises a possible question about whether a type of blood pressure and heart disease medication called ACE inhibitors might increase the chances of severe Covid-19 infections.

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"I strongly advise anyone on heart medications not to stop or change these without discussion with their doctor."

He added that stopping medication and requiring hospital treatment could add further strain to the NHS.

Dr Dipender Gill, who works at Imperial College NHS Trust in London added: "Evidence is currently lacking and it is too early to make robust conclusions on any link between use of ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II type-I receptor blockers with risk or severity of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection."

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Medicine taken by millions could increase the risk of catching coronavirus, scientists warn - The Sun