Would you take the AZ vaccine if you had uncontrolled hypertension?

[Dummer]

Unsure what to do and would appreciate any thoughts. I used to take medication for high bp but stopped with doctor approval as it reduced as I lost weight etc. Monitoring at home and it’s very high again. In the “needs medication” zone. I’ve called gp who said need see nurse for bloods and I appointments available until next week then I need to call daily at 8am to get phone consult with gp then I might get medication. So a lengthy process! In meantime I’ve had appointment for my covid vaccination though. Normally I’d go for it no
Issues. Don’t think clotting risk particularly massive deal if it wasn’t for this uncontrolled high bp. Does it seem risky to take AZ in my circumstances? I asked receptionist at gp if they could find out from doctor but they said I need to go through above process first re bloods then calling every day for appointment. So basically they can’t give me an answer before my vaccination appointment. I’m hoping I’ll get Pfizer but most people I know are getting AZ - should I decline and hope to be allocated Pfizer another time? DH thinks risk so low I should just get AZ but I’m not sure if the uncontrolled high bp makes it too risky. TIA

The clots caused by the vaccine seem to be due to an immune reaction where antibodies basically cause platelets to be destroyed and release chemicals which promote clotting. Although high blood pressure can also increase your risk of blood clots, the mechanism is very different. So AFAIK there is no evidence, or reason to believe, that having high blood pressure would increase your risk of developing a clot after having the vaccine.

Thank you - I’ll read up on that. I hadn’t realised different mechanisms so interesting to know.