Association between hypertension and clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients: a case-controlled study

Abstract

Background: The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was originated from a severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV-2) infection, has become an international public health emergency. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical symptoms and physical findings in both hypertensive and nonhypertensive patients infected with COVID-19. Methods: A retrospective observational case–control study with diagnosis of COVID-19 by laboratory-confirmed test was conducted on 280 consecutive unselected patients. This was a single-center study. The demographics, laboratory, and clinical findings data were extracted from the hospital registry database. Results: Of our 280 patients in the study, there were 149 men (53%) and 138 (50%) were older than 60 years (mean=67.75), and also 50 in-hospital deaths occurred (mortality rate, 17%). Total 19(6.9%) were taking opioid, and smoking. There were no significant differences in the rate of fever, cough, sputum production, gastrointestinal symptoms, myalgia, and headache in the both hypertensive and nonhypertensive groups. The prevalence of underlying diseases was significantly higher in older patients in comparison with younger ones (P=0<0.05), COVID-19 mortality was noticed to be higher among hypertensive patients as compared with nonhypertensive patients (P=0<0.05). Conclusion: Hypertension is associated with a poor prognosis and higher mortality among COVID-19 patients. Optimizing blood pressure is essential during the management of COVID-19. Our research implies the importance of early care and education of old patient with hypertension and other comorbidities.