High blood pressure linked to severe COVID despite vaccination
Research we're watching
- Reviewed by Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor
High blood pressure more than doubles the risk of hospitalization from an Omicron-variant COVID-19 infection, despite full vaccination that includes a booster dose, a new study suggests.
The study, published online July 20, 2022, by the journal Hypertension, analyzed data from 912 adults with COVID-19 in Los Angeles from December 2021 through April 2022. All had received at least three doses of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. The Omicron variant of the virus was first detected in the United States in December 2021, and seven subvariants had been identified by July 2022.
Nearly 16% of the study participants required hospitalization for COVID-19, and more than 86% of that group had high blood pressure. The apparent effect of high blood pressure on severe COVID-19 illness remained even without other chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart failure, or kidney disease. Nearly half of American adults have high blood pressure, according to the CDC.
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About the Author
Maureen Salamon, Executive Editor, Harvard Women's Health Watch
About the Reviewer
Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor
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