Did you know COVID-19 can cause the onset of high blood pressure in people? Researchers found that 21% of people who were hospitalized with COVID-19 develop high blood pressure compared to 16% of people who were hospitalized with the flu. Similarly, of participants who had COVID-19 but weren’t hospitalized 11% developed high blood pressure compared to 4% of people with flu that weren’t hospitalized. This can be dangerous if it goes unnoticed, however, with lifestyle changes and medications you can manage high blood pressure. Learn about the connection between high blood pressure and COVID-19 and how you can manage it in this article. Log on to www.doralhw.org for a consultation.

The link between high blood pressure and COVID-19

High blood pressure and COVID-19 are interconnected. Studies have found that COVID-19 can cause high blood pressure. Whereas high blood pressure can increase the risk of severe symptoms of COVID-19. However, in some cases, you may not have high blood pressure after COVID-19.
If you have high blood pressure and fall ill due to the coronavirus you have a high chance of developing cardiovascular complications. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), people who are older than 40, black, or male are more prone to high blood pressure after getting infected with COVID-19. While it’s not clear how coronavirus causes high blood pressure, scientists have proposed a theory that the virus may infect heart cells and disrupt blood pressure regulation or it may cause acute kidney injury, a common complication of COVID-19 hospitalization that causes high blood pressure.

However, these theories only suggest potential mechanisms for blood pressure increase, not the exact cause. Emerging data suggests inflammatory and immune-mediated pathways may be the reason for the development of hypertension but still these are just a theory.

Besides COVID-19, certain factors also cause high blood pressure, including:

• Unhealthy eating habits: Eating unhealthy foods like foods that contain lots of salt can cause high blood pressure. Additionally, eating low-potassium foods like bananas, potatoes, beans, and yogurt can also increase your blood pressure. So, you should avoid fast or processed foods, as they contain high levels of salt.
• Physical inactivity: When you stay physically inactive your body doesn’t utilize the food you eat for energy, which can increase your weight. Over time, you become overweight or obese, which increases your blood pressure.
• Obesity: Being overweight or obese makes it harder for your heart to pump blood efficiently through the body and deliver oxygen to the necessary tissues which causes high blood pressure.
• Drinking excessive alcohol: Consuming too much alcohol can affect the muscles that help the blood vessels to carry blood in the body. It makes the muscles narrower which increases blood pressure. That’s why the more you drink, the more prone you become to high blood pressure.
• Smoking: Smoking chemicals, especially nicotine, trigger hormones including epinephrine and norepinephrine which increase your blood pressure.
• Genetics: If you have close relatives who suffer from high blood pressure, then you’re more prone to developing high blood pressure as well.
• Age: The more you age, the risk of hypertension can be higher.
• Prolonged stress: Taking chronic stress releases cortisol in the body which increases blood pressure.
  Recent scientific research shows that people who already have high blood pressure before COVID-19 infection experience an increase in their blood pressure after the infection. Similarly, some people report they suddenly developed high blood pressure after COVID-19 without any risk factor.

While this may not be clear how COVID-19 causes high blood pressure, it is clear how COVID-19 increases your blood pressure. Studies found that coronavirus can bind easily with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) which is mainly present in the heart, lungs, kidneys, and gastrointestinal tract. ACE2 plays a crucial role in cardiovascular and immune pathways. Coronavirus increases angiotensin 2, which causes a loss of ACE2. As it serves essential hormones in the body that cause vasoconstriction of the blood vessels which means the smooth muscle cells in the walls of the blood vessels contract and narrow down the vessels. This reduction in blood flow over a period of time increases your blood pressure.

Another factor is stress that occurs from COVID-19 which may impact your high blood pressure. Studies suggested that stress related to the pandemic may increase hypertension. You can tell you may experience high blood pressure if you experience symptoms such as:

• Severe headaches
• Dizziness
• Difficulty breathing
• Chest pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Anxiety
• Blurred vision
• Confusion
• Abnormal heart rhythm
• Nosebleeds
• Buzzing in the ears

In case you don’t have symptoms, then you can monitor blood pressure with a blood pressure measuring device. If you don’t manage your high blood pressure, it may lead to stroke, heart attacks, heart failure, eye, and kidney disease.

The good thing is you can lower your blood pressure successfully by making certain changes in your lifestyle, including:

• Stay physically active by exercising regularly for at least 30 minutes a day 5 days a week.
• Quit smoking, if you do.
• Eat a healthy balanced diet by limiting your intake of sodium and alcohol.
• If you’re overweight or obese, then try to lose weight.
• Manage your stress by learning stress-relieving techniques such as exercise, deep breathing, meditation, etc. If your stress is unmanageable, get professional help.

Besides these lifestyle changes, you can also take prescribed medicine from your doctor to manage your blood pressure.

In case your blood pressure is high during your infection, then you should also treat your infection as well. Besides medication, you can also use some home remedies as well, including:

• Take plenty of rest.
• Drinking lots of water.
• If you have a fever, headache, or body ache you can take anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers such as paracetamol, ibuprofen, and naproxen to manage your symptoms.
  In case you are on the verge of severe complications due to infection, then additional therapy is also useful.

In some cases, people who recover from COVID may experience various symptoms which may lead to low blood pressure. This is known as long-COVID, which requires medical attention.

COVID-19 and high blood pressure are closely intertwined but with complexity. Evidence suggests COVID-19 can increase your blood pressure or cause high blood pressure. Whereas high blood pressure can increase the severity of covid infection and lead to cardiovascular complications. The good news is high blood pressure is managed with medications and lifestyle changes. Make sure you keep track of your blood pressure at home, or by visiting a healthcare provider’s office regularly. This way you can share your concerns and changes which need to be addressed.

Don’t make your body suffer more from the infection, get professional help by visiting our infectious disease specialists in our Brooklyn clinic. They listen to your concerns and treat you accordingly. Give free tips on how to stay safe from infectious diseases. Call us on +1-347-384-5690. If you need any information on infections, log on to www.doralhw.org to get a consultation. We have the best doctors that can help you and improve your quality of life!

Need help with your blood pressure, visit our cardiology clinic in Brooklyn to get professional medical help where doctors treat you as a friend.