Hypertension leads to the highest increased risk of hospitalisation for omicron infection.

Researchers retrospectively analysed 912 people from greater Los Angeles who developed Covid-19 during the omicron surge despite receiving at least three doses of mRNA vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna). Of the 912 people, 15.9 per cent were hospitalised for severe Covid-19 and of these 86.2 per cent were hypertensive.

“We were surprised to learn that many people who were hospitalised with Covid-19 had hypertension and no other risk factors,” said study author Dr Susan Cheng of the Smidt Heart Institute at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

The published study did not differentiate omicron sub-variants and the mechanism through which hypertension increased the risk of Covid-19 hospitalisation is not clear. Previous studies have suggested that people with hypertension clear SARS-CoV-2 more slowly and experience a prolonged inflammatory response compared to those without high blood pressure.

“Uncovering why hypertension is linked to Covid-19 could help us better understand how SARS-CoV-2 affects the body and provide clearer targets for prevention and treatment,” commented Dr Cheng. 

(Hypertension.2022; 79:00–00. DOI: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.122. 19694)