Treatment of Patients with COVID-19-Induced Hypertension

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and known for inducing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), has affected more than 19 million individuals worldwide, resulting in approximately 0.7 million deaths as of August 2020. The fact that the virus uses angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as a receptor to enter host cells, combined with the high prevalence of hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases among COVID-19 patients, has raised significant discussion regarding the management of such patients. This expert consensus from the Uzbek Medical Society for Arterial Hypertension reviews the current evidence on the relationship between COVID-19 and hypertension, the pathophysiological mechanisms of viral entry into target cells, and the use of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitors in patients with hypertension and COVID-19.