Does hypertension affect the course of coronavirus infection

Through dynamic follow-up over the past year and a half, it has been found that patients with COVID-19 on the background of hypertension suffer more severely from this disease and more often require medical care in the intensive care unit. In addition, laboratory studies showed a more significant increase in the levels of D-dimer, LDH, and C-reactive protein in such patients. Patients with coronavirus infection accompanied by hypertension had a more severe course of pneumonia and more severe respiratory failure, and the development of an excessive inflammatory reaction in the form of a cytokine storm was observed more frequently. At the same time, doctors believe that this is not directly related to high blood pressure, but to the fact that patients suffering from arterial hypertension often have concomitant diseases such as obesity and diabetes, and in most cases belong to the older age group. Despite the fact that arterial hypertension itself is not a factor contributing to the complicated course of coronavirus infection, patients with such pathology require more careful monitoring by medical personnel and a more cautious selection of drug therapy.