People in their thirties and forties could be ‘quietly damaging the heart’ without realising
Brits with “normal” blood pressure have been issued a warning as they could still be at risk of a “silent killer” condition. New research has found that people in their thirties and forties who have a “normal but high” blood pressure reading could be “quietly damaging the heart”.
This could be happening “long before symptoms appear”, and increasing the chance of a heart attack or stroke. In an update from the British Heart Foundation (BHF), the charity explained more.
It shared the results of a study funded by the BHF and published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging. As part of this study of more than 450 people, the team from University College London (UCL) discovered that those with higher blood pressure in their thirties and forties, as well as in the three decades after that, had reduced blood flow to their heart muscle at the age of 77.
It revealed that the more years people had higher blood pressure, and the more sharply it rose, the greater the reduction in blood flow to their heart. This reduced blood flow was linked to an increased risk of having a heart attack, stroke or heart failure later in life.
As reported by the BHF, the risk from higher or fast-rising blood pressure was seen from as young an age as 36, even if people didn’t meet the current criteria for a diagnosis of “high” blood pressure.
Study author Dr Gaby Captur, associate professor at UCL and consultant cardiologist at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Small, steady increases in blood pressure through adulthood, even if you have a ‘normal but high’ reading, can be quietly damaging the heart, long before symptoms appear. Your blood pressure in your thirties, we found, can affect the heart 40 years later.”
During the study, blood pressure readings at the ages of 36, 43, 53, 62, 69 and 77. Having higher blood pressure at all of these ages was linked to poorer blood flow to the heart muscle at 77.
Every 10-point increase in someone’s systolic blood pressure – for example, from 120 to 130mmHg – between the ages of 36 and 69 was linked to up to a six per cent reduction in blood flow to their heart at age 77. However, the largest impact was seen for people within a critical time window between the ages of 43 and 63, when their systolic blood pressure rose from 120 to 140mmHg.
Each 10-point increase in blood pressure here was linked to a nine to 12 per cent reduction in blood flow to the heart aged 77. And every one per cent reduction in blood flow to the heart was linked to a three per cent higher risk of a major cardiac event – a heart attack, stroke or heart failure.
‘Normal but high’ blood pressure
Part of the concern here lies with the fact a systolic reading between 120 and 140mmHg would “typically” fall short of being classed as high blood pressure. Doctors might instead refer to this as “pre-hypertension”.
At the moment, people are recommended to start medication for high blood pressure if their systolic reading is over 140 (or over 130 if they have pre-existing cardiovascular disease). According to the BHF, researchers say keeping blood pressure below 120 may be helpful in maintaining vital blood flow to the heart in later years.
Professor Bryan Williams, chief scientific and medical officer at the BHF, said: “Blood pressure is a silent killer, and the most important cause of heart attacks, strokes and early death in the UK each year. The reason we refer to blood pressure as the silent killer is that it is usually symptomless and blood pressure levels creep up gradually, so the only way of being sure you don’t have high blood pressure is to get it checked.
“This interesting research suggests that we should be encouraging people to get regular blood pressure checks from a younger age, when it is often much easier to control. It should also prompt us doctors to reconsider whether we should be recommending earlier lifestyle changes or medication to bring people’s blood pressure back under control as soon as it becomes elevated, to provide longer term health benefits.”
If you are concerned about your blood pressure, you should speak to your GP.