According to a recent study in PloS One, hypertension or high blood pressure (BP), occasionally accompanied by raised cardiac troponin I (cTnI) may arise in COVID-19 infected individuals. Also, augmenting Ang II signaling might play an pivotal role in development of hypertension in COVID-19.

Cardiovascular impairment has been frequently observed in COVID-19 patients. Ganxiao Chen and colleagues examined the consequence of COVID-19 infection on cardiac injury and high BP.

The clinical data of total of 366 critically-ill COVID-19 patients were analyzed and reviewed. Out of 268 patients, 30 patients (11.19%) patients reported cardiac impairment. Out of these, 93.33% (28/30) of cases were of severe intensity. The neutrophils, white blood cells (WBCs), procalcitonin, C-reactive protein (CRP levels), lactate, and lactic dehydrogenase were certainly linked with cardiac injury marker as per the lab findings.

One hundred ninety patients without history of high BP had higher angiotensin-II (AngⅡ). Out of these patients, 16 (8.42%) patients had a rise in BP in accordance with the diagnostic standards of hypertension during hospital stay, with a considerably augmented level of the cTnI, procalcitonin, AngⅡ compared to those with normal BP.

The clinical disease severity of critically-ill COVID-19 patients can be recognized via a predictive model, founded on the 4 predictors (older age, higher cTnI; history of high BP, and diabetes) along with gender, the study investigators declared.