5-ASA preparations have very weak immunosuppressive activity. There are no reports that these drugs are associated with an increased risk of infection, and studies evaluating the safety profile of 5-ASA do not show an increased risk of serious or opportunistic infections.
Treatment with 5-ASA should be continued without concern for an increased risk of infection or severe COVID-19.
If the patient is in contact with a patient with COVID-19 or develops COVID-19, treatment with 5-ASA should be continued.
A separate problem is the treatment of hypertension in patients with COVID-19. The presence of a history of hypertension in patients with COVID-19 was associated with a more severe course of infection, in contrast to patients who did not have hypertension. According to modern concepts, during the COVID-19 pandemic, patients with hypertension should carefully monitor their blood pressure levels and take constantly prescribed medications. This also applies to the use of so-called blockers of the renin-angiotensin system for the treatment of patients with hypertension: angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers. A number of recent studies show that these groups of drugs not only do not increase the risk of infection with the virus, but also significantly improve the course of coronavirus disease.
The occurrence and course of hypertension is closely related to the presence of its modified and unmodified risk factors: heredity, psychoemotional stress, smoking, unbalanced diet (excessive salt, saturated fat intake), excessive alcohol consumption, overweight and sedentary lifestyle.
