High Blood Pressure May Increase Chances of Dying From Coronavirus, Top Doctors From Wuhan Say

While we are all heavy with worry as to how the Covid-19 novel coronavirus would affect our daily lives, and how infectious the disease has proven to be, the most important thing to note is that the mortality rate (your chances of dying) of the disease is actually less than 2%. Which means unless you are young, old, or already suffer from underlying health conditions, it’s unlikely that you’ll wind up in critical condition due to the virus.

However, with regards to the aspect of underlying conditions, it is apparently been found that certain health problems may raise your likelihood of dying from the Covid-19 coronavirus, according to New Straits Times and Newsweek. While no formal research has been conducted on these claims, top doctors who had been working in Wuhan, where the novel coronavirus originally emerged, noticed that many of the initial first-wave of coronavirus patients died with underlying hypertension (high blood pressure) conditions.

Of a group of 170 first-wave patients who died in January in Wuhan, nearly half had hypertension.

“From what I was told by other doctors and the data I can see myself, among all the underlying diseases, hypertension is a key dangerous factor,” said Dr Du Bin, one of the most respected critical care experts in China, and director of the intensive care unit at Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

While they agree that no formal research has been published yet, initial observation shows that hypertension may be one of the biggest contributing factors to a patient’s deteriorating prognosis. As such, Dr Du has been intending to study further into this matter, keeping a close eye on elderly patients with high blood pressure who have the coronavirus, to monitor the results.

Regardless of the research outcome, prevention is still better than cure! So be sure you keep your hands washed at all times, and avoid visiting crowded places when possible! 

Also read: M’sia Pharmaceutical Society Warns That We May Run Out of Medication If Coronavirus Continues