According to a new analysis conducted between December 2021 and April 2022, high blood pressure in adults with COVID-19 doubled the risk for hospitalization, especially from an infection caused by the Omicron variant.  The risk of hospitalization was also visualized in affected adults after completing the vaccination regimen, including a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccines. Earlier, an observational study conducted in Israel found that a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine reduced the risk of severe illness by 70%.

The study revealed that in the absence of other chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes, kidney disease, or heart failure, high blood pressure continued to increase the risk caused by severe COVID-19. Dr. Joseph Ebinger, M.D., M.S., Assistant Professor of Cardiology, Director of Clinical Analytics at the Smidt Heart Institute at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles stated that the findings of the study are important because more than half of the adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure.

According to the data collected in the study, roughly 16% of the 912 people who received the three doses of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccination needed to be hospitalized.  Dr. Ebinger revealed that the risk of hospitalization also increased with advanced age, high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, heart attack, heart failure, and the interval between the last immunization and COVID-19 infection. He added that people with high blood pressure were 2.6 times more likely to need hospital care for a severe COVID-19 illness. He stated that further studies are needed to increase the knowledge and understanding that obtaining three doses of vaccination does not completely protect against developing severe COVID-19, particularly in individuals with high blood pressure.

(Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/health/high-blood-pressure-may-double-risk-of-severe-covid-despite-vaccination-study-101658403183077.html )