Interactions between hypertension and inflammatory tone and the effect on blood pressure and outcomes in patients with COVID-19

Determinants of mortality in hypertensive patients admitted with COVID-19: a single-centre retrospective study at a tertiary hospital in South Africa

BACKGROUND

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly impacted global health, with successive outbreaks leading to substantial morbidity and mortality. Hypertension, a leading cause of cardiovascular disease globally, has been identified as a critical comorbidity in patients with severe COVID-19, exacerbating the risk of adverse outcomes. This study aimed to elucidate the impact of hypertension on COVID-19 outcomes within the South African context.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted at King Edward VIII Hospital, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, encompassing patients aged 13 years and above admitted with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection between June 2020 and December 2021. The study investigated the association between hypertension and COVID-19 outcomes, analysing demographic, clinical, and laboratory data. Statistical analysis involved univariate and multivariate logistic regression to identify predictors of mortality among the hypertensive cohort.

RESULTS

The study included 420 participants-encompassing 205 with hypertension. Hypertensive patients demonstrated significantly greater requirements for oxygen and steroid therapy (p < 0.001), as well as higher mortality rates (44.88%, p < 0.001)) compared to their non-hypertensive counterparts. Key findings demonstrated that a lower oxygen saturation (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.934, p = 0.006), higher pulse pressure (aOR 1.046, p = 0.021), elevated CRP (aOR 1.007, p = 0.004) and the necessity for mechanical ventilation (aOR 5.165, p = 0.004) were independent risk factors for mortality in hypertensive COVID-19 patients. Notably, the study highlighted the pronounced impact of hypertension-mediated organ damage (HMOD) on patient outcomes, with ischemic heart disease being significantly associated with increased mortality (aOR 8.712, p = 0.033).

CONCLUSION

Hypertension significantly exacerbates the severity and mortality risk of COVID-19 in the South African setting, underscoring the need for early identification and targeted management of hypertensive patients. This study contributes to the understanding of the interplay between hypertension and COVID-19 outcomes, emphasising the importance of considering comorbidities in the management and treatment strategies for COVID-19. Enhanced pandemic preparedness and healthcare resource allocation are crucial to mitigate the compounded risk presented by these concurrent health crises.

Correlations between comorbidities, chest x-ray findings, and C-Reactive protein level in patients with COVID-19

Background

Patients with comorbidities have an increased risk for severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) symptoms, including abnormal inflammation. Chest X-rays and C-reactive protein (CRP) level are frequently used to evaluate the severity of inflammation. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between comorbidities, chest X-ray findings, and CRP level in patients with COVID-19.

Materials and methods

This was a cross-sectional, analytic, observational study performed using a quantitative approach. The study population included in patients with confirmed COVID-19. Secondary data from the medical records of the patients were analysed to determine the correlations between comorbidities, chest X-rays, and CRP level.

Results

The data of 167 patients (87 [52.1%] females and 80 [47.9%] males) were evaluated. Regarding comorbidities, 86 (51.5%) patients had hypertension, 66 (39.5%) had diabetes mellitus, and 17 (10.2%) had dyspepsia. Chest X-rays showed that 144 (86.2%) patients had pneumonia, whereas 23 (13.8%) did not. A total of 143 (85.6%) patients showed increased CRP levels, whereas 24 (14.4%) did not show any increase. Patients who showed pneumonia on chest X-rays tended to have increased CRP levels. The results also showed that chest X-ray findings were correlated with CRP level. Diabetes mellitus and hypertension were significantly correlated with CRP level (p = 0.05), whereas dyspepsia did not show a significant relationship with CRP level (p > 0.05). Patients with hypertension had a 2.709-fold risk of having increased CRP level compared with patients without hypertension. Patients with pneumonia had a 2.953-fold increased risk for increased CRP level compared to those without pneumonia.

Conclusion

Hypertension and diabetes mellitus are significantly correlated with CRP level. Chest X-ray finding is also significantly correlated with CRP level.

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The most common comorbidity in COVID-19 patients is hypertension.

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Most COVID-19 patients with pneumonia tend to increase CRP value.

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Only hypertension and diabetes mellitus have a significant correlation with the CRP value.

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The chest x-ray result has a significant correlation with the CRP value.

Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Hypertensive Patients Infected with COVID-19: A Retrospective Study

Background

Hypertension has been reported as the most prevalent comorbidity in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This retrospective study aims to compare the clinical characteristics and outcomes in COVID-19 patients with or without hypertension.

Methods

A total of 944 hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 were included from January to March 2020. Information from the medical record, including clinical features, radiographic and laboratory results, complications, treatments, and clinical outcomes, were extracted for the analysis.

Results

A total of 311 (32.94%) patients had comorbidity with hypertension. In COVID-19 patients with hypertension, the coexistence of type 2 diabetes (56.06% vs 43.94%), coronary heart disease (65.71% vs 34.29%), poststroke syndrome (68.75% vs 31.25%) and chronic kidney diseases (77.78% vs 22.22%) was significantly higher, while the coexistence of hepatitis B infection (13.04% vs 86.96%) was significantly lower than in COVID-19 patients without hypertension. Computed tomography (CT) chest scans show that COVID-19 patients with hypertension have higher rates of pleural effusion than those without hypertension (56.60% vs 43.40%). In addition, the levels of blood glucose [5.80 (IQR, 5.05–7.50) vs 5.39 (IQR, 4.81–6.60)], erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) [28 (IQR, 17.1–55.6) vs 21.8 (IQR, 11.5–44.1), P=0.008], C-reactive protein (CRP) [17.92 (IQR, 3.11–46.6) vs 3.15 (IQR, 3.11–23.4), P=0.013] and serum amyloid A (SAA) [99.28 (IQR, 8.85–300) vs 15.97 (IQR, 5.97–236.1), P=0.005] in COVID-19 patients with hypertension were significantly higher than in patients without hypertension.

Conclusion

It is common for patients with COVID-19 to have the coexistence of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and so on, which may exacerbate the severity of COVID-19. Therefore, optimal management of hypertension and other comorbidities is essential for better clinical outcomes.

Interactions between hypertension and inflammatory tone and the effect on blood pressure and outcomes in patients with COVID-19

Arterial hypertension represented one of the most common comorbidities in patients with COVID‐19. However, the impact of hypertension on outcome in COVID‐19 patients is not clear. Close connections between inflammation and blood pressure (BP) have been described, and inflammation plays a key role in the outcome for patients with COVID‐19. Whether hypertension impairs the relationship between inflammation, BP, and outcomes in this context is not known. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of the interactions between inflammation and hypertension status on BP and clinical outcome in patients hospitalized with COVID‐19. We designed a retrospective study in 129 patients hospitalized with COVID‐19 at Toulouse University Hospital. The hospital outcome was admission to the intensive care unit or death. The inflammatory markers were blood C‐reactive protein level (CRP), neutrophil to lymphocyte, and platelet to lymphocyte ratios. We identified strong correlations between CRP (P < .01) and the other inflammatory markers recorded on admission (P < .001) with mean BP within 3 days after admission in normotensive patients, whereas these correlations were absent in patients with hypertension. Also, we observed after multivariate adjustment (P < .05) that CRP level predicted a worse prognosis in hypertensive patients (relative risk 2.52; 95% confidence intervals [1.03‐ 6.17]; P = .04), whereas CRP was not predictive of outcome in patients without hypertension. In conclusion, the study revealed that in COVID‐19 patients, hypertension impairs the relationship between inflammation and BP and interacts with inflammation to affect prognosis. These findings provide insights that could explain the relationship between hypertension and outcomes in COVID‐19 patients.