Vaccination against COVID-19 has been started in some areas in people with comorbidity or disease, including those with hypertension or high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease or heart disease.
According to cardiologist Dr. Raul Lapitan, it is best for a person with hypertension or heart disease to consult a doctor before getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
“Magandang kumonsulta tayo especially kung mayroon ka naman doktor na pinupuntahan before para at least malinawan sila about the vaccine saka ‘yong sakit nila,” said Lapitan, former president of the Philippine Heart Association, on Teleradyo’s “Your Daily Do’s” program.
Before getting vaccinated, a patient must also take his or her medications, according to Lapitan.
The doctor also explained that a person’s blood pressure actually rises when he is vaccinated but the COVID-19 vaccine has nothing to do with it.
“None of these EUA-approved vaccines has a direct relation with the elevated blood pressure,” he said.
One of the possible causes of increased blood pressure is the pain of the prick or feeling anxiety.
“Maybe it’s because of the pain. Of course nandiyan yung tinatawag nating anxiety kasi marami tayong naririnig,” said Lapitan.
Vaccination preparation for those with hypertension, heart disease
There are also “environmental factors,” he said, that cause the pressure to increase, such as how many people are at the vaccination site.
It is also possible that the person is unrecognized or unaware that he or she has hypertension.
“Kaya nga maganda… Kung hindi ka pa nagpapa-check up, maganda if you have a simple gadget like sphygmomanometer, might as well take your blood pressure before going there,” said Lapitan.
If a person’s systolic blood pressure is above 180 or 120 diastolic, the vaccination can be delayed until the blood pressure is controlled.
“Hindi natin sila binabakunahan right away. We just have to delay it and address the most urgent problem, which is the hypertension,” said Lapitan.
“We usually advise them to proceed to ER for proper evaluation and then see a cardiologist para malunasan ‘yong ganoong condition,” he added.
He said health screening before the injection is also part of the process, which also takes the blood pressure of the vaccine recipient.
After vaccination, the vaccinated person will first stay in an area at the vaccination site to be observed in case he or she experiences adverse effects.