COVID-19 and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with pre-existing hypertension

Patients with hypertension have worse acute COVID-19 outcomes, but the long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection is unclear. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adults with hypertension and no prior cardiovascular events in the Montefiore Health System, comparing those with and without COVID-19 over up to 4.5 years post-infection. Outcomes included first-time myocardial infarction (MI), heart failure (HF), stroke, all-cause mortality, and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Multivariate regression and inverse-probability weighting adjusted for demographics, comorbidities, socioeconomic status, and COVID-19 vaccination. Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Sub-analyses examined hypertension stage and acute COVID-19 blood biomarkers in relation to outcomes. Among 75,180 hypertensive patients, hospitalized COVID-19 was associated with increased risk of first-time MI (adjusted HR = 1.40 [1.21-1.63]), HF (1.59 [1.45-1.75]), stroke (1.35 [1.17-1.57]), all-cause mortality (2.51 [2.17-2.90]), and MACE (1.65 [1.54-1.77]) compared to COVID-negative individuals. Non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients had elevated risks of HF (1.17 [1.06-1.30]) and MACE (1.14 [1.05-1.23]). Hospitalized COVID-19 was associated with an increase in MACE risk by 75% in those with normal blood pressure, and by 126% and 148% in those with elevated blood pressure and stage 1 hypertension, respectively. Abnormal C-reactive protein, creatinine, lactate dehydrogenase, D-dimer, hemoglobin, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio predicted higher MACE risk. COVID-19, irrespective of disease severity, puts hypertensive patients at greater risks of worse cardiovascular outcomes, especially those with more advanced hypertension. These findings underscore the importance of long-term cardiovascular monitoring in this vulnerable population.