AUTHOR=Cheng Weibin , Du Yumeng , Zhang Qingpeng , Wang Xin , He Chaocheng , He Jingjun , Jing Fengshi , Ren Hao , Guo Mengzhuo , Tian Junzhang , Xu Zhongzhi 

TITLE=Age-related changes in the risk of high blood pressure

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2022.939103

DOI=10.3389/fcvm.2022.939103

ISSN=2297-055X

ABSTRACT=Background and aims: Understanding the age-related trend of risk in high blood pressure (BP) is important for preventing heart failure and cardiovascular diseases. But such trend is still underexplored. This study aims to (a) depict the relationship of BP patterns with age, and (b) understand the trend of high BP prevalence over time in different age groups.

Methods: Health check-up data with an observational period of eight years (Jan 1, 2011-Dec 31, 2018) was used as data source. 71468 participants aged over 18 years old with complete information on weight, height, age, gender, glucose, glycerin triglyceride, total cholesterol, systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were included for analysis. Generalized additive models were adopted to explore the relationship between risk of high BP and age. Variance analysis was conducted by testing trend of high BP prevalence in age groups over time.

Results: Risk of high SBP showed a continuous rise from age 35 through 79 years and a concurrent early increase in risk of high DBP; after age 50 to 65 years, high DBP risk declined. The risk of SBP rises linearly with age for men, whereas increases non-linearly for women. Additionally, a significant increasing trend of high SBP risk among middle-aged people was found during the past decade, men experienced a later but longer period of increase in high SBP than women.

Conclusions: The SBP risk progresses more rapidly in early lifetime in women, compared to lifetime thereafter. Thresholds of increasing trend of SBP suggest a possible need of hypertension screening in China after the age of 40.