COVID-19 Could Have An Unexpected Effect On Your Risk Of High Blood Pressure

As if you needed another reason to be concerned about the possible effects of COVID-19 on the body, here's a new one: It might cause higher blood pressure than the flu. According to a 2023 study of over 45,000 patients published in Hypertension, COVID-19 could result in "persistent high blood pressure" even in people who have no history of high blood pressure. That's right; all those healthy choices you've been making to keep your blood pressure within the healthy range could go straight out the window thanks to a bout of COVID-19.

"COVID-19 affects our blood pressure in several ways due to its interaction with the cardiovascular system and how our bodies react to the inflammation it causes," Dr. Raj Dasgupta, Chief Medical Advisor for Fortune Recommends, who was not involved in the study, exclusively told Health Digest. "It may increase the risk of blood clots and damage blood vessels, which may lead to higher blood pressure." As Dasgupta explained, the stress alone from having to deal with the virus can also raise blood pressure, at least temporarily. After all, experts have yet to fully discover all the ways COVID-19 can impact the body, so being stressed when you receive a diagnosis makes sense. 

This isn't the first time COVID-19 has been found to have unexpected effects on the body. In 2022, a study found that COVID-19 could possibly increase risks of neurological conditions, like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease — something that couldn't have been conceived as possible when the world was in the initial throes of the illness in 2020. But before you start panicking about what COVID-19 might do to your blood pressure, let's look at the facts.

Although, as the study found, even those who don't struggle to maintain a healthy blood pressure level can end up with high blood pressure due to COVID-19, it's important to realize that some people are far more susceptible to this particular effect than others. The findings from the 2023 study pointed to men and people over 40 as being at a higher risk, as well as Black adults and anyone who might already have preexisting conditions, especially those that are cardiovascular in nature or are related to some form of kidney disease.

While the study's senior author, Tim Q. Duong, Ph.D., noted in a press release that these findings should result in automatic screening of those who fall within the at-risk category, sometimes we can't 100% count on our healthcare provider to step up to the plate (via American Heart Association). Because of this, if you identify as any of the demographics most likely to end up with high blood pressure due to COVID-19, you should advocate for yourself and tell your doctor that you'd like to be screened. You are always well within your rights to speak up if you feel that you're being overlooked and there's no place where self-advocacy is more important than when it comes to your health.

According to Dasgupta, there's been ongoing research that suggests high blood pressure, even if it doesn't come along with COVID-19, can actually develop after the fact. "This is especially seen in more severe cases, where the cardiovascular system may have been greatly affected," said Dasgupta. "The exact mechanisms are still being studied, but the lasting inflammation or vascular damage caused by the virus might contribute to increased blood pressure or make pre-existing conditions worse." However, as Dasgupta explained, there still needs to be more research on the topic before a definitive conclusion can be made.

In the meantime, what you can do when recovering from COVID-19 is to carefully monitor your health. Pay attention to your body and make note of any changes that feel off or straight-up wrong. Dasgupta also suggested talking to your healthcare provider about your risks for long-term effects on blood pressure and overall cardiovascular health. COVID-19 is still a very new virus and it will take years before experts will be able to unpack all the damage that it can cause, especially in the long term.