Hypertension and Covid vaccines
Hypertension and Covid vaccines
High blood pressure after the jab might be explained by spike protein binding of ACE2 and a consequent increase in angiotensin II, a powerful vasoconstrictor (Updated 8/19/22)
Hypertension (high blood pressure) is an adverse health event showing a stunning 2,182% increase in just a partial-year total for 2021, after the Covid vaccination campaign started, compared to the 2016-2020 average reported in the Defense Medical Epidemiology Database (DMED) for military personnel.
Three military physician whistleblowers revealed this to US Senator Ron Johnson, who wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin about it.
Attorney Thomas Renz lists these adverse events here. His Excel spreadsheet can be downloaded here.
Articles by Dr. Robert Malone and Steve Kirsch on the DMED data leak are also revealing.
Hypertension is a silent killer responsible for, among other things, strokes (rapid death of brain tissue), myocardial infarctions (heart attacks leading to dead heart muscle), heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias), kidney disease (nephropathy), eye disease (retinopathy), peripheral vascular disease (damaged arteries), and cardiomyopathy (sick heart muscle) leading to heart failure.
Hypertension reports (Defense Medical Epidemiology Database)
2016-2020 (average): 2360 people
2021 (partial year): 53,846 people
Increase: 2,182%
The CDC, FDA, and some medical societies might be discounting the problem.
For example, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAI) told one physician whose patient, 30 minutes after her first dose of the Moderna vaccine, developed flushing, tachycardia (heart rate > 100 beats per minute), and blood pressure elevation to 180/130 (normal is less than 120/80):
There is no immunologic explanation for vaccinations in general or mRNA vaccines in particular to cause persistent elevation of blood pressure.
The reports from Switzerland described in an increase in both diastolic and systolic blood pressure in patients receiving the Pfizer vaccine (one received Moderna). The prevalence of this was approximately 0.07% although the authors noted that blood pressure is not routinely checked before and after. A supermajority of these cases had a history of pre-existing hypertension and majority were taking antihypertensives at the time of the vaccination. Therefore, an increase in blood pressure may be more common. The Swiss group of patients gradually improved and were not associated with flushing.
No mechanism was offered but the phenomenon was felt to be due to anxiety or stress response.
I searched the VAERS (CDC Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) and did not find reports of hypertension associated with mRNA vaccines (The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) Results (cdc.gov)).
In summary, I do not think the vaccination was causally related to the increase in blood pressure but was associated with the increase. The blood pressure change was not related to an immune response. I suspect the increase in blood pressure was due to a stress response. [emphasis added]
Observations:
The physician letter‘s supposed Swiss prevalence of post-vaccine hypertension of about 0.07% is likely meaningless because “blood pressure is not routinely checked before and after” vaccination.
The AAAI doctor seems to say he doesn’t “think the vaccination was causally related to the increase in blood pressure” merely because “the blood pressure change was not related to an immune response.”
He fails to mention the role of the spike protein’s binding to angiotensin converting enzyme II (ACE2), inhibiting its breakdown of angiotensin II.
This leads to an increase in angiotensin II, a potent vasoconstrictor that raises blood pressure and promotes inflammation and oxidative stress.
Dr. Robert Malone says he developed severe hypertension days after receiving the Moderna vaccine:
The second shot almost did me in. As in I almost died.
After the injection, I had the usual fatigue, muscle-ache and then the palpitations started, as well as shortness of breath. Within a couple days, it got worse - I am not someone who goes to the doctor easily, but luckily for me, I happened to have a routine appointment with my physician. She cuffed me and my systolic blood pressure was through the roof. As she is also a cardiologist, she had more tests run, started me on high blood pressure meds and we got it under control. I kind of feel like I owe her my life.
If you’ve had the vaccine, please monitor your blood pressure, even if your doctor doesn’t think to do so.
"A supermajority of these cases had a history of pre-existing hypertension and majority were taking antihypertensives at the time of the vaccination."
This statement made me think of the Kryptonite Hypothesis: https://www.scientificdissent.com/the-kryptonite-hypothesis/.
According to this hypothesis, long term use of many common blood pressure medications results in upregulatation of ACE2 receptors. "Professor Esler’s original concerns were the blood pressure drugs ARBs, which can cause a five-fold increase in ACE2 expression."
As ACE2 is how covid docks into the cell, the assumption is that those with higher numbers of ACE2 receptors are prone to having worse outcomes following infection. Maybe the same is true following vaccination?
Thank you James, well done!