Long COVID is often associated with symptoms such as persistent fatigue, shortness of breath and brain fog. But evidence increasingly shows that long COVID may have a broad effect on the cardiovascular system, as well.

Previously, our research found that long COVID was associated with higher risk of heart disease. Now, our latest study shows that people who have long COVID are at greater risk of developing hypertension (high blood pressure). This risk was found even in people whose initial COVID infection was mild and did not require hospitalisation.

Our study included more than 1.2 million Swedish adults aged 18 to 65 living in Stockholm County. We used data from the MIRACLE-S cohort, which tracks diagnoses, healthcare visits, hospitalisations and prescription information from these participants.

Participants with pre-existing hypertension and those hospitalised with COVID were excluded from our analysis. This allowed us to focus on milder infections and the long-term effects COVID may have on blood pressure.

Between October 2020 and January 2025, 8,365 (0.7%) participants........

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