AUTHOR=Mubarik Sumaira , Liu Xiaoxue , Eshak Ehab S. , Liu Keyang , Liu Qing , Wang Fang , Shi Fang , Wen Haoyu , Bai Jianjun , Yu Chuanhua , Cao Jinhong 

TITLE=The Association of Hypertension With the Severity of and Mortality From the COVID-19 in the Early Stage of the Epidemic in Wuhan, China: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2021.623608

DOI=10.3389/fmed.2021.623608

ISSN=2296-858X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Background:</bold> Hypertension may affect the prognosis of COVID-19 illness. We analyzed the epidemiological and clinical characteristics associated with the disease severity and mortality in hypertensive vs. non-hypertensive deceased COVID-19 patients.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> We included all the deceased patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 admitted to &gt;200 health facilities in Wuhan between December 1 and February 24, 2020. The median survival time in COVID-19 patients with and without hypertension, the association of hypertension with the disease severity, and the risk factors associated with the COVID-19 mortality stratified by the hypertension status were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, logistic regression, and Cox proportional regression, respectively before and after the propensity score-matching (PS) for age and sex.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> The prevalence of hypertension in the studied 1,833 COVID-19 patients was 40.5%. Patients with hypertension were more likely to have severe COVID-19 illness than patients without hypertension; the PS-matched multivariable-adjusted odds ratio (95% CI) was 2.44 (1.77–3.08). Moreover, the median survival time in the hypertension group was 3–5 days shorter than the non-hypertension group. There was a 2-fold increased risk of COVID-19 mortality in the hypertension group compared with the non-hypertension group; the PS-matched multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 2.04 (1.61–2.72), and the significant increased risk of COVID-19 mortality in the moderate vs. mild COVID-19 illness was confined to patients with hypertension. Additionally, the history and the number of underlying chronic diseases, occupation, and residential location showed stronger associations with the COVID-19 mortality among patients with hypertension than patients without hypertension.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> Hypertension was associated with the severity and mortality of COVID-19 illness.</p>