High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a common yet silent health problem that affects millions of people worldwide. It increases blood power and can lead to serious health complications such as heart disease, stroke and kidney failure.
A recent study published in pediatric journal Highlighting the detrimental effects of elevated blood pressure in adolescence and hypertension, leading to premature heart damage that worsens in young adulthood. It emphasizes the importance of addressing blood pressure issues early in life to prevent health complications.
Hypertension and hypertension, often called the “silent killer disease” of adults, are notorious for damaging the kidneys, heart, blood vessels, brain and ultimately leading to death. billion dollars and is linked to an increase in health emergencies such as heart attacks and strokes.
The European Society of Cardiology/European Society of Hypertension classifies blood pressure of 130/85 mmHg as high-normal and 140/90 mmHg as hypertensive. On the other hand, the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association classifies blood pressure of 130/80 mmHg as hypertension.
Elevated blood pressure and hypertension can lead to premature heart failure at a young age. There is an urgent need for blood pressure screening and prevention in young people. Credit: Andrew Agbaje
In 2020, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force concluded:
However, last year (2022) it was reported that elevated systolic blood pressure in childhood was associated with the risk of premature death in the mid-40s. Nonetheless, the earliest time at which potential hypertension-associated cardiac disorders become apparent in the general population of children and adolescents remains unclear.
Furthermore, whether hypertension above 130/85 mmHg causes premature heart damage in the young population is unknown due to the lack of repeat echocardiographic measurements.
The current study was conducted on 1,856 adolescents, 1,011 of whom were female. The adolescent was 17 years old at baseline and he was followed for 7 years until young adulthood at age 24 years. Elevated and hypertensive blood pressure and evidence of cardiac injury were assessed at baseline and follow-up.
Signs of cardiac structural damage are hypertrophy and relative wall thickness of the left ventricle. Signs of impaired cardiac function, on the other hand, are left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and elevated left ventricular filling pressure.
During the 7-year follow-up period, the prevalence of elevated blood pressure, hypertension, and heart disease among adolescents doubled. Extensive management of fat mass, muscle mass, glucose, lipids, smoking status, sedentary time, physical activity, family history of cardiovascular disease, and use of adult cutpoints to diagnose heart damage correlated with hypertension and hypertension. Hypertension was observed. It caused premature heart damage in both men and women.
Importantly, there were specific features of the observed hypertension and hypertension-related heart damage in each sex. For example, in men, high systolic blood pressure and hypertension were associated with an approximately 10–30% increased risk of cardiac dysfunction, but not cardiac structural damage.
However, in women, high systolic blood pressure and hypertension were associated with an approximately 60-217% increased risk of cardiac structural damage and a 35-65% increased risk of cardiac functional damage.
“This new evidence of the detrimental effects of hypertension and primary hypertension on the heart in young adults is alarming. Therefore, public health professionals, health policy makers, health journalists and bloggers, pediatricians, and caregivers have significantly increased their awareness of hypertension and the serious dangers it poses to young people. We need to push for legislative changes to mandate blood pressure screening in adolescents, as this could significantly reduce hypertension-related emergencies in adulthood,” says a doctor at the University of Eastern Finland. says clinical epidemiologist Andrew Agbaje.
See: “Elevated Blood Pressure and Worse Cardiac Injury in Adolescents,” Andrew O. Agbaje MD, MPH, 3 March 2023, Available here. pediatric journal.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2023.02.018
Dr. Agbaje’s research group (urFIT child) is supported by research grants from the Jenny and Antti Wihuli Foundation, the Finnish Cultural Foundation Central Fund, the Finnish Cultural Foundation North Sabo Regional Fund, the Orion Research Foundation sr, the Arne Koskello Foundation, the Antti and Taine Soininen Foundation, and the Paulo Foundation . , Yurjo Jansson Foundation, Paavo Nurmi Foundation, Finnish Cardiovascular Research Foundation, Pediatric Research Foundation.
