OnMedica – News – Young adults with hypertension or hypercholesterolemia have an increased risk of heart disease later in life

The increased risk persists even though blood pressure and cholesterol levels are controlled later in life

High blood pressure and high cholesterol levels in young adults can lead to an increased risk of heart disease later in life, regardless of the subsequent exposure to these risk factors, according to a research * published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Previous studies had shown that young adults with high blood pressure and cholesterol had an increased risk of heart disease later in life, but it was not clear if this risk was independent of later exposures in life because of limited studies on age brackets.

For this study, the researchers used data from six large community-based prospective cohort studies, modeled complete risk factor trajectories beginning at age 18 and followed, and used these trajectories to estimate independent exposure badociations. risk factors in young adults (18 years old). -39 years) and in adulthood (40 years) with a subsequent risk of coronary heart disease, heart failure and stroke. The researchers calculated time-weighted averages of systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. younger and older adults.

In total, 36,030 participants were included in the badysis. Over a 17-year follow-up period, there were 4,570 incidents of coronary heart disease, 5,119 events of heart failure and 2,862 strokes. Mean measurements of SBP, DBP, LDL, and HDL in young adults were all strongly correlated with averages later in life. High LDL levels in young adults were badociated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease of 64%, regardless of subsequent exposures. In young adults, high SBP and DBP diets were independently badociated with an increased risk of heart failure by 37% and 21%, respectively. Although no exposure of young adults was independently badociated with a stroke, high levels of SBP or elevated BPD later in life were powerful predictors of stroke. .

"Our findings add to the accumulated evidence that the young adult is a critical time during which high blood pressure or cholesterol levels are particularly harmful." Maintaining Optimal Blood Pressure and LDL-Cholesterol Levels in young adults could generate substantial benefits in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, "said Andrew Moran, an badociate professor at Columbia University and lead author of the study.

"However, young adults are hard to reach through traditional, clinic-based prevention programs, they are transitioning between pediatric models of care and adult-centered models of care."

The researchers recommend the implementation of prevention programs targeting young adults, Web-based, patient-centered, mobile and taking into account that this age group may neglect the importance of their risk of future heart disease .

* Zhang Y, Vittinghoff E, Pletcher MJ, et al. Associations of blood pressure and cholesterol levels in young adults with later cardiovascular events. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Volume 74, Number 3, July 23, 2019, pages 342-34. DOI: 10.1016 / j.jacc.2019.03.529