TORONTO – You get it checked at the doctor’s office or at the pharmacy and usually when you’re older. But a new study is suggesting that detecting high blood pressure even around 18 years old may be a warning sign for heart disease.
Blood pressure changes between early adulthood and middle age could be a tell-tale sign for cardiovascular disease down the road, the U.S. study said. That’s decades earlier than doctors and patients typically start to worry about hypertension.
The Northwestern University research is based on a 25-year study of almost 5,000 men and women between 18 and 30 years old that began in 1985. Researchers measured patients’ blood pressure several times over the course of the quarter-century.
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The scientists say they’re the first to identify different long-term patterns of blood pressure levels. Distinct patterns emerged: 22 per cent of the group had low blood pressure throughout the study, 42 per cent had moderate levels and 12 per cent started with moderate blood pressure that increased. Another 19 per cent had relatively elevated blood pressure and five per cent started with already elevated blood pressure that only climbed during follow-ups.
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“This shows that your blood pressure in young adulthood can impact your risk for heart disease later in life,” said Dr. Norrina Allen, lead author and professor at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine.
But catching this trend and addressing it before it worsens is key, Allen said.
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“If we see someone who is 25 or 30 and they fall into one of these patterns, we can predict where they’ll be in middle age. Then we can prescribe lifestyle changes such as increased physical activity or a better diet that can prevent them from developing hypertension and a higher risk of disease,” she said.
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The researchers also checked for calcium build up in the arteries – typically a change that can lead to heart attacks down the road. Those with high blood pressure even at 18 years old were most at risk for calcification in their arteries.
The researchers, whose study was published Tuesday afternoon in the Journal of the American Medical Association, say they hope their findings will make doctors and patients more conscious of blood pressure measuring even in early adulthood.
“We can’t wait until middle age to address it. If we can prevent their blood pressure from increasing earlier in life, we can reduce their risk of future heart attacks and stroke,” Allen said.
carmen.chai@globalnews.ca
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