Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been considered highly threatening because of its highly spread rate, the fast increase of patients in need of the intensive care unit (ICU), and increased mortality rate, particularly in individuals with chronic diseases such as hypertension (HTN). The aim of the study is to exhibit the need for ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, and outcomes of COVID-19 infection in patients with preexistent HTN.
Methods: A retrospective observational cross-sectional study was conducted involving 397 COVID-19 subjects, the data was obtained from the King Fahad University database system.
Results: We found that COVID-19 patients with HTN are at a higher risk of developing severe pneumonia, excessive uncontrolled inflammation, need for ICU admission, and mechanical ventilation. We found that patients with Stage 2 HTN (Systolic ≥140, Diastolic ≥90) had more ICU admissions (43.1%) in comparison to patients with controlled blood pressure (41.5%). However, the patients that were attached to a mechanical ventilator were (31.5%) in comparison to medically free patients (23.2%).
Conclusion: This study concluded that HTN should be considered a high-risk factor for mortality when compared to medically free patients. HTN should also be considered a significant factor in ICU admission and mechanical ventilation.
Key words: COVID-19, hypertension, ICU, mechanical ventilation.
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