ACE Inhibitor-induced Dry Cough and Dysgeusia: COVID-19 Symptom Mimickers—A Case Series

Abstract

A bstrAct An outbreak of pneumonia caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that started in China in the year 2019 has become a global pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 enters the host cell through the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, which is known to be down-regulated in COVID-19 infected individuals. ACE inhibitors (ACEI) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) can modulate and most probably up-regulate ACE2 expression and can be a therapeutic option, especially in COVID-19 patients with hypertension. ACEI itself can cause dry cough and loss of taste in some susceptible individuals, which can intimate the symptoms of COVID-19 infection itself and can put the treating physician into a diagnostic dilemma. Careful evaluation and discontinuation of the drug can reverse the symptoms dramatically.