[ad_1]
(Reuters Health) – Two new studies suggest that people who develop high blood pressure before the age of 40 are at a higher risk for heart disease and stroke (stroke). middle age.
One study followed 4,800 young adults in the United States and found high blood pressure before age 40, with a risk of heart disease and stroke up to 3.5 times higher about 19 years of follow-up.
The second study examined data on nearly 2.5 million young adults in South Korea over a decade and also revealed that high blood pressure before the age of 40 was linked to a higher risk. elevated heart disease and stroke. Women participating in this study had a risk of cardiovascular disease up to 76% higher, while the risk was higher by 85% in men, compared to peers whose blood pressure was normal.
"High blood pressure in early adulthood can lead to heart attacks with multiple mechanisms, and these blood pressure levels can rise to higher levels over time," said Ramachandran S. Vasan, a school of Medicine and Public Health at Boston University.
"They are often associated with. . . Other risk factors (such as excess weight, high cholesterol, hyperglycemia, and smoking) synergistically increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. "Vasan said, author of an accompanying editorial. "They can cause damage to the target organs, including the heart and arteries, thickening of arterial walls and accumulation of deposits / cholesterol plaques in the arteries, thereby creating a substrate (the" ground " "if you want) for future heart attacks and strokes."
For the studies, both published in JAMA, the researchers evaluated high blood pressure using the new, more aggressive target levels recommended by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology in 2017. The New recommendations relied on emerging evidence suggesting that even a slight early-life pressure may be a precursor to cardiovascular disease with age.
Patients were classified as hypertensive when the "highest number", or systolic pressure (reflecting the pressure exerted on the artery walls when the heart was beating), was on average at least 130 mmHG (millimeters of mercury). ).
They were also considered hypertensive if the "bottom number" or diastolic pressure (reflecting the pressure exerted on the artery walls when the heart rested between beats) averaged 80 mmHG.
Prior to the new recommendations of 2017, no high blood pressure was diagnosed before a measurement of 140/90 mmHG or more.
Not all physicians have treated patients with the new, more aggressive blood pressure goal, in part because long-term use of blood pressure lowering medications may have side effects such as diarrhea or constipation, dizziness, tiredness, headaches, etc. nausea or vomiting or mood disorders.
While young adults with high blood pressure should consider the side effects of medications, they may be able to manage their blood pressure by changing their lifestyle, for example by eating better or exercising more, and they should discuss with their doctor, said the senior author of the Korean Study at Park Dr. Sang Min of Seoul National University Hospital.
"We have shown that hypertension, even at a young age, could be associated with a higher risk of heart attack or stroke," Park said by e-mail. "Therefore, the blood pressure of young adults with hypertension should be monitored regularly and manage their blood pressure by changing their lifestyle or taking medication."
Lifestyle changes are not only beneficial for lowering blood pressure and cardiovascular risk, but could also lead to improved physical and mental health, Park said.
Neither study examined whether aggressive treatment of blood pressure could prevent people from developing or dying from heart disease.
But the results still suggest that treating blood pressure more aggressively at a younger age could help reduce the risk of premature heart problems later in life, said Dr. Yuichiro Yano, lead author of the American study, from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
"Our study is one of the first to report that people under 40 years old with high blood pressure or high blood pressure are at increased risk for heart failure, stroke and stroke. and blocking blood vessels as you get older, "Yano said by e-mail.
SOURCE: bit.ly/2PQI24U, bit.ly/2qAZQD9, bit.ly/2PfMNFG and bit.ly/2PPqZjU JAMA, online November 6, 2018.
Source link
