Coronavirus deaths are higher for those with the underlying health issue of hypertension, according to Chinese doctors.
Among the 170 patients that died in January in Wuhan, China, about 50% of the victims had hypertension, Gulf News reported.
"That's a very high ratio," said Du Bin, director of the intensive care unit at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, in an interview with Bloomberg over the phone from Wuhan.
Du was among a team of top doctors sent to the devastated city two months ago to help treat patients there.
"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 Du, one of the most respected critical care experts in China. "Though there is no research published on that yet, we believe hypertension could be an important factor in causing patients to deteriorate, leading to a bad prognosis."
Understanding the course of the disease and identifying individuals at greatest risk are critical for optimizing care for a global contagion that has killed more than 3,700 people since emerging in China in December.
Answers might lie in studying the large pool of patients in China, where more than 15,000 remain hospitalized although new infections have slowed dramatically. The disease turns critical in 6% of patients and deterioration can happen very quickly.
"We'll keep an eye on old people and those with high blood pressure," Du said. "They are the key focus."
Information from Bloomberg was used in this report.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.