Does COVID-19 Cause Non-Dıpper Hypertension?

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Hypertension Research

Background:

• Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global health concern.
• Hypertension management is crucial, with circadian blood pressure patterns playing a key role.
• The long-term cardiovascular impact of COVID-19, particularly on blood pressure regulation, requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of COVID-19 on blood pressure (BP) circadian patterns.
• To determine the prevalence of new-onset non-dipper hypertension in patients post-COVID-19.
• To compare post-COVID-19 BP patterns in hypertensive patients with a control group.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, single-center study involving 722 patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
• Ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) monitoring during hospitalization and 1 month post-discharge.
• Comparison of ABP data with a control group of healthy hypertensive individuals without COVID-19.

Main Results:

• 187 COVID-19 patients and 136 controls were included after exclusions.
• Post-COVID-19 patients exhibited significantly higher mean 24-hour, nighttime, and daytime diastolic BP.
• New-onset non-dipper hypertension was significantly more prevalent in the COVID-19 group.

Conclusions:

• COVID-19 significantly disturbs the circadian blood pressure pattern in patients with pre-existing hypertension.
• A non-dipper hypertension pattern frequently develops in the post-COVID-19 period.
• These findings underscore the importance of monitoring BP circadian rhythms in hypertension management after COVID-19 infection.