New blood pressure guidelines have been introduced to encourage people to take action earlier on as more young people are being struck by heart issues.
Despite the widespread belief that hypertension or high blood pressure is an old-age problem, doctors are increasingly treating younger generations.
It is now estimated that about 25 percent of young adults (aged 18 to 39) have hypertension, a reading of anything higher than 130/80 mm Hg, and a notable percentage of children and adolescents (aged eight to 19) are also affected. Meanwhile, half of US adults suffer from high blood pressure.
This condition can lead to serious health complications later in life, such as heart disease and stroke, as well as kidney disease, cognitive decline and dementia.
Under the American Heart Association’s guidelines, which have been revamped for the first time since 2017, there is a greater emphasis on preventative measures to ‘address the growing burden of morbidity and mortality attributable to high blood pressure.’
Heart specialists have established a tool called PREVENT: Predicting Risk of cardiovascular disease events. It is a calculator to estimate 10- and 30-year cardiovascular disease risk in people aged 30 to 79 years.
It includes variables such as age, sex, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and other health indicators, including zip code as a proxy for social drivers of health.
The measures also provide updated guidance on medication options, including using GLP-1 medications for some patients with high blood pressure who are overweight or obese, and recommendations for managing hypertension, before, during and after pregnancy, as the condition can cause life-threatening complications during these periods.