Introduction:

COVID-19 has produced an increase in mortality rates. One of the main risk groups is made up of people with high blood pressure.

Objective:

To explore the anxiety and fear reactions to COVID-19 in adults with a diagnosis of arterial hypertension.

Methods:

A quantitative, cross-sectional and descriptive design was used through questionnaires in 400 hypertensive adults. The sampling was non-probabilistic and intentional. The Coronavirus Anxiety Scale and The Fear of COVID-19 Scale were used. Processing was carried out using the SPSS-25 / Windows statistical package, based on frequency analysis. The T test was applied for independent samples and effect sizes were calculated. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used.

Results:

Low levels of anxiety were found in the face of COVID-19; and moderate and low levels of fear. The anxiety and fear indexes before COVID-19 were higher in the female sex. Adults with other chronic noncommunicable diseases were those who exhibited the highest levels of fear and anxiety about COVID-19. Associations were found between fear and anxiety about COVID-19. The presence of other chronic conditions was related to manifestations of anxiety and fear in the face of COVID-19.

Conclusions:

There were no clinical signs of anxiety and fear associated with COVID-19 in hypertensive patients.

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