Hello any form of extra strain on the heart whether it s infection or stress is going to increase hormones like adrenaline and cortisol in the body which will elevate the blood pressure in natural process. This blood pressure rise to settle down as soon as the infection is treated . About the stress I request you that any reason for stress I d not good enough as it s only going to harm you and we have to deal with it in a more mature way . Some general things you should follow to control his blood pressure are. 1) try maintaining blood pressure upper under 135 and lower under 85mm hg with lifestyle and medication 2) if overweight, losing weight should be a priority, try achieving bmi less than 25.3) 40-45 mins of aerobic exercise daily 4) be regular with your medication, don t skip doses or stop abruptly. 5) in diet -low salt. Max 3 gms a day. - avoid preserved food as all preservatives have salt. - no pickles, papads, chips, farsan as all have high salt and. - atleast 2 serving of fresh fruits in a day. - 1 serving 35-40 gms of nuts like walnuts, almond to be included - if you take fish 2 serving of fatty fish per will like salmon. -avoid red meat, egg yellow, fried and spicy oily food - may shift to better oils like olive in cooking 6) may consider supplements, like cod fish oil capsules, flax seeds, chia seeds, krill oil as they have good content of omega 3 fatty Hoping I could help. Regards Dr Priyank Mody