Clinical and laboratory characteristics of COVID-19 in hospitalized hypertensive patients

Objective. To identify clinical and laboratory differences of COVID-19 in patients with hypertension (HTN), as well as to identify factors associated with its severe course in these patients. Design and methods. A retrospective analysis of case histories of 940 patients with COVID-19 was performed. Statistical analysis was carried out by the method of contingency tables using Pearson's Chi-square test with Bonferroni correction, multiple logistic regression analysis and ROC-analysis were also applied. Results. The group of patients with COVID-19 and HTN showed a number of significant differences compared with the group of patients without HTN history. The study group was characterized by higher rates of females, people over 65, patients with severe COVID-19. They were more likely to have diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease, and chronic kidney disease. On admission, in the group of HTN patients, leukocytosis and elevated blood glucose levels were more common, as well as pneumonia, shortness of breath and low saturation (p < 0,05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the presence of coronary heart disease (odds ratio (OR) = 3,492, 95 % confidential interval (CI): 2,016-6,048), leukocytosis (OR = 1,376, 95 % CI: 1,540-7,703), thrombocytopenia (OR = 1,779, 95 % CI: 1,031-3,071) and low SpO₂ saturation (OR = 3,265, 95 % CI: 1,996-5,341) were associated with severe COVID-19 in hypertensive patients. ROC-analysis showed that the combination of the identified factors increases power of their association with the severe COVID-19 in HTN patients (AUC = 0,766). Conclusions. 1. Some indicators of hospitalized COVID-19 patients with HTN are different compared to patients with no HTN history. 2. Factors associated with severe COVID-19 in individuals with HTN do not differ from those in the general population of COVID-19 patients. 3. Severe COVID-19 in patients with HTN was strongly associated with the low SpO2 saturation and the presence of concomitant coronary heart disease.

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