COVID-19 isolation linked to rising high blood pressure cases

The health impacts of social isolation have been a double-edged sword for nations trying to curb the spread of COVID-19. Aside from the mental health concerns quarantine can bring, researchers in Argentina say lockdowns are also causing a spike in high blood pressure cases.

The study, conducted in the emergency department of Favaloro Foundation University Hospital, finds a large chunk of patients admitted to the facility are dealing with hypertension during the pandemic. Researchers examined 12,241 patients with an average age of 57. The study specifically looked at adults entering the hospital between March 25 and June 25; comparing those patients to others visiting the emergency room during the first three months of 2020 and between March 21 and June 27 of 2019.

“Admission to the emergency department during the mandatory social isolation period was linked with a 37% increase in the odds of having high blood pressure – even after taking into account age, gender, month, day and time of consultation, and whether or not the patient arrived by ambulance,” says study author Dr. Matías Fosco in a media release.

How social isolation can lead to high blood pressure Common reasons patients visited the E.R. included chest pain, shortness of breath, cough, hypertension, fever, dizziness, and abdominal pain. In midst of the social isolation period, doctors diagnosed 391 patients (23.8%) admitted to the emergency room with high blood pressure. The percentage is noticeably higher than the same time frame from 2019 (17.5%) and the period right before lockdown (15.4%)....

poor diet
alcoholism
lower mobility/activity
higher stress

I/we were on a good diet, glass of wine at dinner and walking about a mile a day and 12-15 minute daily pt exercises for our backs/shoulders and a well rounded social life with family, friends and church. My weight was stable. So none of your list above, applied to us.

Then, came the CV~19 stuff: Church and social life with family and friends went out the door. My hammer toe got out of hand and needed to be lopped off and no appointments for non critical surgery. So my exercise was minimal. The toe surgery was set up by phone calls and digital appointments.

Got the toe surgery mid September, and then our forest fires became an issue. So a lot of smoke for about 2+ months, which limited/cancelled most out door exercises/walking. So I gained a couple of #’s and had shortness of breath.

I texted my Cardio doc, and he asked about increased salt intake. I said yes. That afternoon I was on Bumex, a loop diuretic. A whole lot of peeing and the shortness of breath is now gone and the extra #’s were gone. On Bumex each day now.

Also, no forest fire smoke, and I’m back to walking and up to 1/2 mile yesterday as well as our daily pt exercises.

Cardio Doc said I was a typical over 65 male patient these days. Basically even people/patients with good diets were eating too much salt and doing less exercises. So my Himalayan salt shaker left my side table and is back in the spice cabinet.

Some friends not in this HMO are doing okay with on line, digital discussions.

Others are not happy. One guy ended up with a ruptured gall bladder and emergency surgery in spite of several so called digital visits and no real in person visits to his doctor.

One retired doctor/friend all most lost a grand daughter with a ruptured appendix until he and his lawyer got involved. She is fine now.

I might not be here if our HMO didn’t have good MDs, and the use of a text and in getting a response in hours, sometimes minutes.

My wife texted about her eyelid vision/problem and got a phone consult, and an appointment in early February with a eye surgeon due to that phone appt..

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