Features of the arterial hypertension course and arterial stiffness in patients with ankylosing spondylitis who get infected COVID-19

Objective: to evaluate the features of development and course of arterial hypertension (AH) and changes in vascular stiffness in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) who underwent COVID-19. Materials and methods: 60 patients with a reliable diagnosis of AS were included in the study. Patients were divided into 2 groups depending on the presence of COVID - 19 in anamnesis. The main group consisted of 30 patients with AS who had suffered COVID-19 of varying severity during the previous 12 months. The comparison group consisted of 30 patients with AS who had no laboratory and clinically confirmed COVID-19 infection within the last year. Patients were interviewed regarding the severity of their previous coronavirus infection and persisting symptoms in the post-COVID-19 period. AS activity was evaluated by ASDAS (CRB, BASDAI-index). BP measurement and study of arterial stiffness parameters by oscillographic method, evaluation of the results of ambulatory BP measurement were performed. Results: 6 (20%) patients had BP destabilization at the outpatient stage during home BP measurement early after COVID-19. After 12 months, BP elevation persisted in only 2 (7%) patients, the rest had BP stabilization with withdrawal of antihypertensive drugs. No correlation between BP level, arterial stiffness and AS activity was found. There was a weak inverse correlation between the severity of coronavirus infection and the level of systolic blood pressure, between age and pulse wave velocity. No significant differences in systolic, diastolic blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, aortic augmentation index were found in patients with AS with and without coronavirus infection. In the main group, 1 fatal outcome due to the development of acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction 6 months after COVID-19 was recorded, and no adverse cardiovascular events were registered among patients in the comparison group. Conclusion: it was hypothesized that patients with AS who underwent COVID-19 would be more likely to show BP elevation than those who did not undergo COVID-19. It was found that early after COVID-19 (first three months) a reversible increase in BP without significant changes in arterial stiffness is possible. However, no significant differences in the frequency of BP elevation, BP level, and arterial stiffness were found in patients with AS and COVID-19 or without COVID-19 in anamnesis.

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