CLEVELAND — A study of more than 450,000 people from across the United States found a significant increase in the mean blood pressure of Americans, the Cleveland Clinic said Monday.
The study was conducted by Cleveland Clinic and Quest Diagnostics. Quest Diagnostics and Cleveland Clinic measured blood pressure readings of Americans from April-December 2020 and compared them to readings from April-December 2019. The Cleveland Clinic noted the rise in blood pressure came amid the most stringent pandemic-related stay-at-home orders.
The Cleveland Clinic said that compared to the previous year, the mean increase of blood pressure ranged from 1.10 to 2.50 mm Hg for systolic blood pressure and 0.14 to 0.53 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure.
Dr. Luke Laffin, co-director of the Center for Blood Pressure Disorders in the Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute at Cleveland Clinic, noted that weight gain, which is generally associated with higher blood pressure readings, was not the cause for the increase in Americans’ blood pressure.
“We know that in addition to poor diet, inactivity and lack of sleep, other lifestyle factors such as stress increase blood pressure,” said Laffin, who was also the study’s author. “As we begin to look into the psychological and physical toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, we wanted to see what type of effect the pandemic may have had on people’s blood pressure.”
Dr. Harvey W. Kaufman, Senior Medical Director, Head of the Health Trends Research Program for Quest Diagnostics, said that the research’s findings raise concerns that Americans are more at risk for cardiovascular events. One concern researchers have is that Americans put off preventive medical procedures and screenings amid the pandemic.
“Since elevated blood pressure is often undetectable until the worst outcomes occur, individuals who delayed preventive care during the pandemic may be at risk and not even know it,” said Kaufman. “We hope this study highlights the need for Americans to get back to their doctors as soon as possible.”
A University of Michigan study found that one in three Americans ages 50-80 put off medical treatment due to fears of the coronavirus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that nearly half of all Americans suffer from high blood pressure. Nearly 500,000 people in the U.S. died in 2019 with hypertension being a primary or secondary cause of death, the CDC said.
