Blood pressure control, target organ protection and metabolic disorders control using a fixed combination of azilsartan medoxomil + chlorthalidone in hypertensive patients survived after severe and extremely severe COVID-19

Objective. Evaluation of the possibility of a fixed combination of azilsartan medoxomil + chlorthalidone in additional angioprotection in patients with arterial hypertension (HTN) and high pulse wave velocity (PWV) after confirmed severe or extremely severe COVID-19 (bilateral polysegmental viral pneumonia) treated by genetically engineered biological drugs, who had not previously received combined antihypertensive therapy. Design and methods. An open observational study lasting 12 weeks included 30 patients, 28–31 days after discharge from the hospital after a severe and extremely severe COVID-19, who received or had not previously received antihypertensive therapy. Patients underwent 24-hour blood pressure (BP) monitoring, applanation tonometry (augmentation index and central BP), measurement of PWV, laboratory tests before and after prescription of a fixed combination of azilsartan medoxomil + chlorthalidone. Results. At baseline, patients showed an increase in office blood pressure to 153,06/92,2 mmHg. After treatment with a fixed combination of azilsartan medoxomil + chlorthalidone, a decrease in systolic BP by 18,47% and diastolic BP by 16,24% was observed. According to ambulatory BP monitoring, the decrease in systolic BP was 19,65% and diastolic BP — 24,68%, PWV decreased by 34,4%, augmentation index — by 9,42%, central systolic BP — by 15,48% (p < 0,05). At baseline, vascular age (VA) was increased to 44,96 years compared to the passport age of 35,03 years. After treatment, there was a significant decrease in VA to 38,74 years (p < 0,01). In addition, the levels of C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, D-dimer, glucose, blood urea nitrogen and uric acid significantly decreased. Conclusions. The fixed combination of azilsartan medoxomil + chlorthalidone provides better control of BP. It also helps to improve vascular elasticity (augmentation index, PWV, central systolic BP, decrease in VA) and to reduce post-infectious inflammation in HTN patients after a severe coronavirus infection.