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To date there is paucity of the data/published literature to support persistent hypertension or high blood pressure after recovery from COVID-19 in patients with no prior history of hypertension. The published articles regarding hypertension and COVID-19 infection focus on whether pre-existing hypertension or anti-hypertensive medications increase the risk of contracting COVID-19 and or the severity of COVID-19. One article by Somani et al found 36% of patients who returned to the hospital after an initial hospitalization for COVID-19 -had hypertension versus 22% who were not re-hospitalized, but these patients may have had have preexisting hypertension.1
In the US, as of May 30, 2020, among COVID-19 cases, the most common underlying health conditions were cardiovascular disease (including hypertension) (32%), diabetes (30%), and chronic lung disease (18%).
Hospitalizations were six times higher and deaths 12 times higher among those with reported underlying conditions compared with those with none reported.
5
The frequency with which COVID-19 patients are hypertensive does not necessarily imply a causal relationship between hypertension and COVID-19 or its severity, since hypertension is noted
frequently in the elderly. Age may be a confounder.
Older people appear to be at particular
risk of being infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus
and of experiencing severe forms and complications of COVID-19. There has been as of yet no evidence that hypertension is related to COVID-19 disease sequelae either.
6
A review of 1,000 COVID-19 patients in New York showed 33.9% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients developed acute kidney injury and 13.8% of these required
dialysis.
2 Other COVID-19 studies have also shown acute renal failure or kidney injury with COVID-19 infections.
Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome has also been described in
children associated with COVID-19 and children can develop fever, hypotension and multiorgan failure, including renal insufficiency.
3
If this renal insufficiency or renal failure persists after recovery from COVID-19, then this may cause elevated blood pressure or hypertension in those patients who have not had prior hypertension. However, the
long-term sequelae of COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2 are not as well documented as the acute clinical course. There is a longitudinal study of COVID-19 sequelae and immunity underway in the U.S. sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. The study summary notes that very little is known about possible clinical sequelae or immunity that may persist after resolution of the acute infection.
4 Hopefully as time goes along, there will be more information available regarding long term sequelae of COVID-19 infections. To date causal relationship between COVID-19 and hypertension is unclear but it could be related to long term clinical sequelae of the disease.