A new study says that people who get sick with COVID-19 are more likely to later develop high blood pressure compared to those who catch the flu.
The study came out on Monday, and it’s got health experts really worried. Tim Q. Duong, the main researcher on the study, says these findings mean that more people could end up with high blood pressure, which is bad news for public health.
Duong is a big-shot researcher at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System in New York.
How Was the Study Done?
Researchers looked at the health records of people who went to Montefiore Health System in New York City. They focused on thousands of people who had COVID-19 from March 2020 to August 2022.
They also looked at people who had the flu but not COVID-19 from January 2018 to 2022. Then they checked back on these patients within three to nine months after they were sick to see how they were doing.
What they found was pretty concerning. People who had been in the hospital with COVID-19 were over twice as likely to later have high blood pressure compared to those who were hospitalized with the flu.
Even people who had mild COVID-19 (and didn’t need to go to the hospital) were 1.5 times more likely to get high blood pressure compared to those who had the flu.
Who Should Be Extra Careful?
The study found that certain people were even more at risk. This includes older folks, men, Black people, and those who already had health problems like heart disease or kidney issues.
It’s also worth noting that people who were treated with certain medications like corticosteroids during their COVID-19 illness seemed to develop high blood pressure more often.
The study also said that lifestyle factors might play a role. For instance, if someone was already struggling with money, the added stress from the pandemic could make things worse.
The stress of social isolation, less exercise, and bad eating habits could also play a role in developing high blood pressure.
The study only looked at people who came back to Montefiore for a check-up. So, it might have missed people who had milder cases of COVID-19 or the flu.
Plus, some folks might have had high blood pressure before getting sick and just didn’t know it. The study also didn’t have information on whether the people had been vaccinated against COVID-19, which could affect how sick they got.
What’s Next?
Researchers say we need more studies to find out if this high blood pressure problem goes away on its own or if COVID-19 has long-term effects on heart health.
In the meantime, Duong suggests that doctors should keep a close eye on people who have had COVID-19, especially those who might be at higher risk for high blood pressure.
So, if you or someone you know has had COVID-19, it might be a good idea to check your blood pressure more often. It’s better to catch any issues early on, so you can get the treatment you need before other health problems start popping up.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies about a new cause of high blood pressure, and the most widely used high blood pressure drug that may harm heart health.
For more information about blood pressure, please see recent studies about diet that could lower risks of diabetes and high blood pressure, and results showing this exercise could boost blood vessel health, and improve blood pressure.
The study was published in Hypertension.
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