Philadelphia. Internet photo.

By Paul Goldfinger, MD, FACC

Everyday we hear of new findings and new questions about the pandemic.  As fast as research groups look into specific emerging issues, new revelations pop up to confuse us and worry us.

You can’t put this stuff into a textbook or create solid public health guidelines until we have more answers.

As for hypertension, we heard about the link between hypertension and a poor outcome with the virus, but what annoyed me was, at first, the failure to explain if it is merely a diagnosis of hypertension or high blood pressure out of control which moderates the risk.  And this is important because 30-70% of individuals over age 60 have hypertension.

Researchers are now saying that a diagnosis of hypertension with controlled numbers is not alone a reason for an adverse outlook.

But if the BP is out of control, there is a substantially increased risk, so get yourself a BP machine, continue your meds, and call your doctor if your BP is consistently above 140/90  (this is my own cutoff, and others might disagree about the numbers—it’s a chronic thorn in the side of hypertension experts.)

You may have heard that certain BP medicines might be harmful if you take an angiotensin receptor blocker such as Losartin  (aka Cozaar) or an angiotensin blocker such as Lisinopril  (aka Prinivil) . This is all unproven, and, in fact, these agents may actually be beneficial in the face of coronavirus.

Here are some quotes worth reading:

WebMD: ” High blood pressure makes it more likely that you can get COVID-19, have worse symptoms, or die from the infection.”   Also they say,  “A weaker immune system is one reason why people with high blood pressure are at higher risk.”

US News: “It’s not clear whether having hypertension on its own, without any accompanying forms of cardiovascular disease raises the risk of dying…”

USA Today:  “According to a CDC report,over 90% of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 had one or more underlying health conditions, and 76% of them had high blood pressure”

Web MD:    “Data from China and Italy — countries hit early by the virus — show higher risk of COVID-19 infections and complications in people with high blood pressure.     In China, 25% to 50% of people who came to hospitals with coronavirus had high blood pressure.”

Final note, you can search Blogfinger for our series called “Confessions of a high blood pressure doctor.”  Use the search box at the upper right hand corner  (If you are a lefty, it’s still at the right hand corner)