High blood pressure doubles risk of death from COVID-19

Gao et al conducted a retrospective observational study examining the increased risk of death caused by COVID-19 in China in hypertensive patients. Researchers from China and Ireland analysed data from 2899 COVID-19 patients in Xijing Hospital, China, between the 5^th of February and 15^th of March. After adjusting for confounding factors, they found a 2.12-fold increased risk of death from COVID-19 in hypertensive patients, compared to non-hypertensive patients. This risk was higher for hypertensive patients who were not taking BP-lowering medication compared to those who were, indicating that BP-lowering medication has a protective effect. This study is published in the European Heart Journal. Read more here.