April 29, 2024

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The COVID-19 epidemic causes people’s blood pressure to rise

The COVID-19 epidemic causes people’s blood pressure to rise, and women rise more



 

The COVID-19 epidemic causes people’s blood pressure to rise, and women rise more

 

According to a report on the CNN website, a new survey by the American Heart Association’s “Circulation” magazine showed that during the COVID-19 epidemic, the blood pressure of American adults increased significantly, and women’s blood pressure increased even more.

 

According to Luke Laffin, co-director of the Cleveland Clinic Blood Pressure Disorder Center, the researchers collected blood pressure and other health data for a total of 464,000 company employees and spouses in 50 states in the United States for the past three years.

The results found that compared with 2019, the blood pressure of the population during the April-December epidemic in 2020 increased significantly, with an average increase of 1.1-2.5 mmHg in systolic blood pressure, and an average increase of 0.14-0.53 mmHg in diastolic blood pressure.

Before the epidemic, the number of patients with hypertension in the 30-79 age range had doubled from 1990 to 2019. The epidemic has caused a significant increase in blood pressure in just one year, which deserves special vigilance.

 

The COVID-19 epidemic causes people's blood pressure to rise, and women rise more

 

 

Among them, the increase of women is greater than that of men. Although the exact cause has not been discovered, there are data showing that the epidemic is more stressful for women and even more stressful for women in the workplace.

The systolic blood pressure increased significantly in the elderly group, while the changes in the young group mainly occurred in the diastolic blood pressure.

 

Laffin said that acute stress can cause blood pressure to rise, but the current epidemic is more related to long-term chronic stress.

Under chronic stress, our eating habits will undergo some changes, such as always eating junk food and drinking often, instead of choosing healthy vegetable salads and fruits.

Excessive fat and sodium in a bad diet, and excessive alcohol intake can lead to weight gain and blood pressure.

In addition, insomnia caused by the epidemic, reduced fitness exercise, and inability to take medicines regularly, are also important factors affecting blood pressure.

 

US CDC data show that hypertension can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, which is also the leading cause of death in Americans each year.

A 2 mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure is associated with a significant increase in stroke and heart disease deaths in middle-aged people.

Therefore, the increase in blood pressure revealed by the study may be a precursor to the increase in the incidence and death of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

 

Laffin said that during the epidemic, we must first ensure public health measures such as vaccination and wearing masks, but we must not ignore the risk factors of cardiovascular disease or other chronic diseases.

Therefore, everyone should maintain healthy habits, and the long-term management of chronic diseases should not be delayed because of this.

Patients should see a doctor on a regular basis, and the medicine should not be stopped.

 

 

 

References:

1. heart: US adults’ blood pressure levels increased during the COVID-19 pandemic

2.CNN:  Blood pressure climbed during coronavirus pandemic, especially among women, study suggests

The COVID-19 epidemic causes people’s blood pressure to rise, and women rise more

(source:internet, reference only)


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