Is Lone Hypertension a Risk Factor for More Severe COVID-19 Outcomes?

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health

Background:

• Unclear if lone hypertension elevates COVID-19 severity risk, or if age, obesity, and diabetes are primary drivers.
• Investigating the association between lone hypertension and increased mortality or severe COVID-19 outcomes.
• Assessing if hypertension treatment mitigates associated risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if lone hypertension is associated with increased mortality or severe COVID-19.
• To determine if hypertension treatment and control mitigate COVID-19 risks.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, multi-center observational cohort study of 9,531 SARS-CoV-2 positive patients.
• Patients classified into six blood pressure stages per JNC8 criteria.
• Univariable and multiple logistic regression analyzed 30-day outcomes.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in all-cause mortality among JNC8 hypertension groups after adjusting for confounders.
• Age, obesity, diabetes, and history of myocardial infarction significantly increased mortality risk.
• Untreated hypertension (Stage 1 & 2) increased hospitalization odds; Stage 2 also increased ICU admission odds.
• Treated hypertension (Stage 1 & 2) did not show a statistically significant increased risk for hospitalization.

Conclusions:

• Lone hypertension did not elevate COVID-19 mortality risk.
• Treated hypertension patients did not face an increased risk of hospitalization.
• Hypertension management appears crucial in mitigating severe COVID-19 outcomes.