High BP More Challenging for Older Women, Younger Men

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 29, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Roughly a 3rd of Americans connected precocious blood unit medications bash not person their blood pressure nether control, a caller survey reveals.

And younger men and older women are peculiarly vulnerable, researchers warn.

"Although this improvement has been hinted astatine successful the aesculapian literature, it is simply a spot astonishing to maine arsenic we should not expect anyone to person uncontrolled humor pressure, particularly if they are already taking medicine medications for them," said survey writer Dr. Aayush Visaria. He's a postdoctoral probe chap astatine Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research successful New Brunswick, N.J.

Among patients successful their 70s, women were 29% much apt than men to person uncontrolled high humor pressure, Visaria and his colleagues found. And women 80 and up had a 63% higher risk.

Among 20- to 49-year-olds, the reverse appears to beryllium true.

Compared to women, the hazard for treated but uncontrolled humor unit was 59% higher among men successful their 20s, 70% higher among those successful their 30s, and 47% higher for men successful their 40s.

All told, astir fractional of adults successful the United States person precocious humor pressure, expanding their hazard for heart attack, stroke, kidney disease and different wellness complications, including terrible COVID-19, according to the American Heart Association.

Researcher Visaria described his findings arsenic worrying.

Along with proposal to lose weight, reduce stress, stop smoking and chopped backmost connected alcohol and sodium, radical with known precocious humor unit are usually prescribed medications, Visaria said.

"Most of these medications are extensively studied," helium noted, "and we bash cognize they little [blood pressure] rather well."

Still, if humor unit remains supra the level considered precocious -- 130/80 -- it is considered uncontrolled, Visaria explained.

To larn much astir the hazard for treated but uncontrolled precocious humor pressure, his squad focused connected much than 13,200 men and women property 20 and up.

Between 1999 and 2018, each had been enrolled successful an ongoing survey of wellness and nutrition. On average, participants were 57 years old, and 7 successful 10 were white. And each were taking medicine precocious humor unit medication.

Even so, 35% of women and 33% of men were recovered to person uncontrolled precocious humor pressure.

While the hazard was astir the aforesaid for men and women betwixt property 50 and 69, a immense sex spread was evident connected either extremity of that period, with hazard overmuch higher among younger men and overmuch higher among older women.

"It is hard to ascertain" why, Visaria said.

One imaginable mentation is an under-representation of older women successful humor unit studies. The effect is that "we don't cognize whether the medications enactment arsenic good successful older women," Visaria said.

Dr. Gregg Fonarow, manager of the Ahmanson-University of California Los Angeles Cardiomyopathy Center, said the differences whitethorn bespeak a assortment of analyzable factors.

Those, helium said, see entree to care, objective decision-making, differences successful manner choices, socio-economic background, and wellness and medicine history.

Whatever the explanation, "the cardinal connection should beryllium that determination are large opportunities to amended power of humor unit of men and women of each ages," said Fonarow, who was not progressive successful the study.

Visaria agreed. "The main implications are that older women and younger men with precocious humor unit whitethorn payment from much predominant monitoring of their BP, to astatine slightest beryllium capable to observe increases successful humor pressure," helium said.

Such vigilance is peculiarly important among older women, Visaria added, fixed that older women besides are prone to under-treatment.

"We cognize that women successful wide person a faster emergence successful their humor unit aft menopause, [although] the reasons are inactive not afloat known," helium noted, adding that younger women thin to person a acold little hazard for precocious humor unit than men.

As a result, erstwhile humor unit rises successful older women, doctors and patients whitethorn unintentionally place it, since they don't consciousness immoderate symptoms and their humor unit has been controlled their full life, Visaria said.

As a result, galore older women whitethorn not beryllium getting the meds they request to statesman with.

The findings were presented Monday astatine a virtual gathering of the American Heart Association. Research presented astatine meetings is typically considered preliminary until published successful a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The American Heart Association has much astir high humor pressure.

SOURCES: Aayush Visaria, MD, MPH, postdoctoral probe fellow, Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, New Brunswick, N.J.; Gregg Fonarow, MD, director, Ahmanson-University of California Los Angeles Cardiomyopathy Center; American Heart Association Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2021, Sept. 27, 2021, online