Decongestants, a common ingredient in cold and flu drugs, constrict blood vessels to help relieve congestion. And constricted blood vessels can temporarily raise blood pressure levels and reduce blood flow in people with poor circulation…

The Cayman Islands government is discussing its existing COVID-19 protocols as global concerns grow over the virulence of the new strain of the novel coronavirus found in the United Kingdom.

Although allergies don’t usually directly increase blood pressure, they can contribute indirectly to high blood pressure in two very different ways. Decongestants commonly used by people with allergies, such as pseudoephedrine (Sudafed, Actifed, others) and phenylephrine (Sudafed PE), constrict small blood vessels in the nose.