Elevated Blood Pressure in People Under 40 Poses Hazard of Developing Cardiovascular Diseases Prematurely
High blood pressure or hypertension is a major health problem that affects more than 100 million people in the U.S. (using the current 130 systolic or 80 diastolic) and over one billion worldwide. Despite being considered a disease of older adults, there are two new studies in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that are reporting the association of high blood pressure with the risk of premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adults younger than 40. In an accompanying JAMA editorial, Vasan Ramachandran, MD, FACC, Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine, mentions that major gaps exist in the current knowledge regarding the epidemiology, diagnosis, risk stratification and management of higher blood pressure levels in young adults.