Is high blood pressure a risk factor for COVID-19?

• 6% of people with high blood pressure (hypertension) who contract COVID-19 are expected to die, compared with a 2.3% case fatality rate for the population overall
• People with high blood pressure are thought to be at increased risk of developing COVID-19 and having a worse outcome
• 76.1% of people who have died from COVID-19 in Italy had high blood pressure

Investigating the risks COVID-19 poses to people with high blood pressure

Researchers are working to understand the specific risks that COVID-19 poses to people with cardiovascular disease, which is an umbrella term that includes conditions such as high blood pressure (hypertension). One such group of researchers has found that high blood pressure was more common in COVID-19 patients who developed heart injury (also known as myocardial or cardiac injury). Of the 82 patients who developed heart injury in a study conducted in 416 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in China, 59.8% had hypertension.

The study identified heart injury as being a common complication in patients who developed COVID-19, with 19.7% of patients in the study developing it. Concerningly, it also appears to be a deadly complication as 51.2% of the patients who developed heart injury died, compared with only 4.5% of the patients who did not show signs of heart injury.

People with high blood pressure appear to be at increased risk from COVID-19

On March 17, 2020, the National Institute of Health in Italy released a report stating that 99% of patients with COVID-19 who had died in Italy had a pre-existing condition. More specifically, 76.1% of the patients who died in Italy had high blood pressure.

The Chinese Centers for Disease Control has published case reports that are reported to indicate people with pre-existing conditions, including hypertension, are at increased risk of developing severe COVID-19. Studies from China that have already been published in the scientific literature report that:

• Of the 11 patients who died in an initial retrospective study of 99 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, 3 had high blood pressure.
• Of the 138 hospitalized COVID-19 patients studied in another case series, 31.2% had high blood pressure. A total of 36 of the 138 patients studied required intensive care unit (ICU) care and 58.3% of those patients had high blood pressure.
• Data from another 1099 patients with COVID-19 treated in hospital showed that 23.7% of the 173 COVID-19 patients with severe disease had high blood pressure.
• Analysis of data from 140 patients with COVID-19 who were admitted to hospital found that 30% had high blood pressure

Related questions

• What are the side effects of beta blockers?
• What is the best time of day to take blood pressure medication?
• Can you take Viagra with high blood pressure?

CDC recommendations for those at higher risk from COVID-19

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 should do the following:

• Stay at home
• Avoid close contact with others (stay 6 feet away from people who are sick)
• Wash your hands often
• Clean and disinfect surfaces that are touched frequently
• Avoid cruise and non-essential air travel
• Call their health care provider if they have concerns about COVID-19 and their pre-existing condition or they are sick

Read next

See also:

Related medical questions

• Best time to take amlodipine - day or night?
• Does Losartan block the receptor used by the Coronavirus?
• What are the equivalent dosages of bumetanide, furosemide & torsemide?
• Should you drink a lot of water when taking Lasix?
• Can you eat bananas when taking losartan?
• Losartan vs Valsartan - What's the difference between them?
• I have high blood pressure. Can I take Mucinex DM safely?
• Does metoprolol make you sleepy?
• How long after taking 5 mg lisinopril will my blood pressure drop down?
• How is atenolol superior to metoprolol?
• Does caffeine cause high blood pressure?
• Is sleep apnea the hidden cause of your high blood pressure?
• Can carbidopa/levodopa cause high blood pressure?
• Can Armour Thyroid cause high blood pressure?
• How long does minoxidil take to work?
• Is high blood pressure considered heart disease?
• Does Gemtesa cause high blood pressure?
• Are you Experiencing Side Effects from your Medicine? Here's what you should know
• Should I be Concerned about Prediabetes?
• What's the buzz on Ozempic and Wegovy?
• Is loss of sense of smell a symptom of COVID-19?
• Can Gilenya cause high blood pressure?
• How are hypertension, heart disease and stroke related?
• What is the strength of Qbrelis (lisinopril) oral solution?

Related support groups

• High Blood Pressure (496 questions, 1,628 members)
• Hypertension (176 questions, 598 members)
• Influenza (116 questions, 98 members)
• COVID-19 (103 questions, 90 members)
• Viral Infection (31 questions, 12 members)

Medical Disclaimer