High blood pressure risk was reported more in COVID-19 patients, in-addition to patients over age 40, men, Black adults or those with pre-existing medical conditions.
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1.Incidence of New-Onset Hypertension Post-COVID-19: Comparison With Influenza
Go to source).// According to the 2017 ACC/AHA Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults, hypertension is classified as having top and bottom numbers greater than or equal to 130/80 mm Hg.
Evaluating COVID-19 and High Blood Pressure
An analysis of electronic medical records for more than 45,000 people found that COVID-19 infection was significantly associated with the development of high blood pressure.‘Patients with COVID-19 have a greater rate of new-onset persistent hypertension than those with influenza, which is likely to be a significant health burden. #highBP #COVID-19bloodpressure’
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The analysis found 21% of people hospitalized with COVID-19 and 11% of those who were not hospitalized for COVID-19 developed high blood pressure, compared to 16% of people hospitalized with influenza and 4% of those not hospitalized for influenza.
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People hospitalized for COVID-19 were more than twice as likely and those not hospitalized are 1.5 times more likely to develop persistent hypertension compared to people hospitalized and non-hospitalized with influenza, respectively.
People infected with SARS-CoV-2 who were over 40 years old, Black adults or those with preexisting conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary artery disease or chronic kidney disease, had an elevated risk of developing high blood pressure.
Persistent high blood pressure was more common among people infected with SARS-CoV-2 who were treated with vasopressor and corticosteroid medications during the pandemic.
The authors noted that the people in the study were primarily from communities with low socioeconomic status, which may increase their susceptibility to developing high blood pressure after COVID-19 infection. Other factors may also have contributed to the development of high blood pressure in the study patients, including the effects of isolation, psychosocial stress, reduced physical activity, unhealthy diet and weight gain during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Researchers also noted that longer follow-up studies will be needed to determine whether the effects of COVID-19-related complications on the heart and blood pressure regulation may resolve on their own, or if there may be long-lasting effects on patients’ cardiovascular systems.
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- Incidence of New-Onset Hypertension Post–COVID-19: Comparison With Influenza- (https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.123.21174)
Source-Eurekalert