It is widely known that patients having serious comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer, chronic kidney disease, coronary heart disease and many more are at a higher risk of the COVID-19 infection. These vulnerable groups can be affected badly due to the COVID-19 infection i.e. either worsening their condition or leading to permanent loss of functions and organs. The most common comorbidities are, according to some studies, hypertension (30 percent), diabetes (19 percent), and coronary heart disease (8 percent). There was either hypertension or other diseases such as cancer, diabetes, or other lung diseases in about 99 percent of COVID-19 patients who died in Italy. Of these, about 76 percent were patients who suffered from high BP. The most common comorbidity was hypertension in COVID-19 patients. There is a significantly greater risk of death from coronavirus in patients suffering from high blood pressure. The risk is 6 percent higher for them than that of a typical patient with coronavirus.
The occurrence of hypotension or hypertension in COVID-19 patients is not entirely surprising given the risk factors and does not suggest that there is a causal association between hypertension and COVID-19. Hypertension is more common in the elderly, so the elderly tend to have a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection. They are also experiencing serious COVID-19 types and complications.
Old age and medicines
Long-term exposure to health conditions and old age decreases the immune system’s ability to defend against viruses. People with a weaker immune system are also at a higher risk of coronavirus complications and death. What needs to be remembered is that hypertension affects almost two-thirds of the world’s population over the age of 60. The medications they use to treat the condition are another potential explanation of why individuals with hypertension are at a higher risk. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers ( ARBs) are used to treat hypertension and other cardiovascular disorders that are frequently found in COVID-19 patients. Both of these drugs increase the body’s ACE2 level, and COVID-19 viruses bind to this enzyme to infect cells. However, there is no indication that hypertension is related to coronavirus outcomes or that the use of an ACE inhibitor or ARB is dangerous or beneficial during a pandemic.
Weakens the heart and makes it vulnerable
Hypertension affects the arteries over time, which leads to a decreased amount of blood flowing to the heart. In order to pump enough blood, the heart is then forced to work harder. It may weaken the heart when this happens for a long time, and the heart may not be able to pump the necessary amount of oxygen-rich blood at any point. COVID-19 could prove to be very dangerous under such conditions because it may lead to inflammation of the muscles of the heart. The virus has the ability to break up the plaque and cause a heart attack if a patient already suffers from plaque build-up in their arteries.
Precautions
Extra measures are required for patients with hypertension or other diseases such as lung disease, heart disease, cancer, or diabetes than for others. Here are ways a person can protect himself from the COVID-19 virus:
- To avoid a hospital visit, take all prescriptions for high BP and other diseases on time and keep basic medicines at home to treat fever or other minor illnesses.
- Avoid communication with individuals for as long as possible, and remain at home.
- When going out, always wear a mask and gloves and bring a sanitizer.
- With soap and water, wash your hands for 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based sanitizer.
- Mind to clean and disinfect areas such as doorknobs that are commonly touched.
- To avoid pneumonia, speak to your doctor about taking a pneumococcal vaccine.
