High blood pressure becoming more common in young adults: Study

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDMay 29 2011

According to a new study about one in five young adults may have high blood pressure. The researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill analyzed blood pressure data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, called Add Health, and compared it with data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, commonly referred to as NHANES. They focused specifically on the information about adults age 24 to 32.

Their study showed that there was a significantly different rate of hypertension between the two studies, but similar rates of diagnosed hypertension. Add Health data suggested that 19% of participants had high blood pressure but that only 11% had been told of their condition. NHANES data suggested that 4% had high blood pressure and that 9% had been told they had the condition. Sociologist and lead author Kathleen Mullan Harris said, “We really don’t know for sure. We looked at differences that we thought would probably would play a role, differences in the populations, differences in the methods we used to measure. None of those accounted for the gap.” She added, “We think the estimates are probably somewhere in between.” After all, about one in three U.S. adults -- counting the young and old -- have high blood pressure she said.

Study researcher Dr. Eric Whitsel, an assistant professor in medicine and epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill said if a younger adult goes to a doctor for a checkup, the doctor will likely screen for high blood pressure. But “if people aren’t visiting health care professionals and aren’t measuring their blood pressure at home using inexpensive monitors, then they won't capture their illness,”

The study’s conclusion reads, “The prevalence of hypertension among Add Health Wave IV participants indicates an unexpectedly high risk of cardiovascular disease among U.S. young adults and deserves further scrutiny.” Harris adds that as young people transition from college to their first jobs (where they may become more sedentary) and start a family this is of importance.

According to the National Heart Lung Blood Institute’s information on high blood pressure, “The condition itself usually has no symptoms. You can have it for years without knowing it. During this time, though, HBP can damage the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and other parts of your body.” And the younger a person is when they develop high blood pressure, the earlier this damage can start.