Clinical course of acute respiratory viral infection of various etiology in patients with arterial hypertension

Acute respiratory viral infection (ARVI) is one of the causes of global morbidity. Arterial hypertension (AH) is the most common chronic non-infectious disorder, which may be accompanied by ARVI occurence. The aim of the study is to investigate the clinical features of ARVI of various etiologies (COVID-19, influenza, and unspecified) in patients with arterial hypertension. The retrospective, comparative study included 535 patients divided into three groups: ARVI of unspecified etiology (group 1), 249 persons; COVID-19 (group 2), 250 patients; influenza (group 3), 36 cases. Each of the three groups included two subgroups: A, only ARVI (unspecified, COVID-19, influenza); B, ARVI (unspecified, COVID-19, influenza) accomplished by AH conditioin. Statistical data processing was carried out using STATISTICA 10.0 software packages. The manifestations of intoxication and catarrhal syndrome occurred in patients of subgroups 1A and 1B, their severity was different. In respondents with ARVI and AH (subgroup 1B), the course of ARVI differs in the following parameters: runny nose (χ² = 4.3; p = 0.040), sore throat (χ² = 4.3; p = 0.037), fever to febrile levels (χ = 24.5; p = 0.000). The clinical picture in patients with COVID-19 + hypertension differed from patients with COVID-19 without hypertension in that more patients had anosmia (χ² = 3.84; p = 0.050), headaches (χ² = 3.84; p = 0.050), myalgia (χ² = 4.38; p = 0.036), sleep disorders (χ² = 4.11; p = 0.043), cough (χ² = 4.18; p = 0.041), prolonged febrile fever (U = 2.01; p = 0.044) (χ² = 5.74; p = 0.017). Patients with influenza and AH were more likely to report nasal congestion (χ² = 9.93; p = 0.002), cough (χ² = 4.11; p = 0.043), and fever (χ² = 11.25; p = 0.000), which lasted up to 8.5 days (U = 2.59; p = 0.023). For all patients, regardless of the genesis of ARVI in the presence of AH, febrile fever was more common and longer. The manifestations of intoxication and catarrhal syndrome in patients with influenza + AH are distinguished by the complaints of nasal congestion, cough and sleep disorders. In normotensive patients with COVID-19, loss of smell, headache, myalgia, sleep disorders were more common. Knowledge of the clinical features of the course of ARVI of various etiologies in patients with AH will allow for timely therapy correction of both ARVI and AH at the early stages.