Researchers found people who
maintained or reduced their blood pressure to normal levels by age 55 had the
lowest lifetime risk for CVD (between 22 percent to 41 percent risk). In
contrast, those who had already developed high blood pressure by age 55 had a
higher lifetime risk (between 42 percent to 69 percent risk). Starting with
baseline blood pressure readings from an average of 14 years prior, researchers
tracked blood pressure changes until age 55, then continued to follow the
patients until the occurrence of a first cardiovascular event (including heart
attack or stroke), death or age 95. Taking blood pressure changes into account
can provide more accurate estimates for lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease,
and it can help us predict individualized risk, and thus, individualized
prevention strategies.
Researchers also found:
Almost 70 percent of all men who develop high blood pressure in middle age will
experience a CVD event by 85. Women who develop high blood pressure by early
middle-age (average age 41) have a higher lifetime risk for CVD (49.4 percent)
than those who have maintained normal blood pressure up to age 55. Women, in
general, had higher increases in blood pressure during middle age. At an average
age 55, 25.7 percent of men and 40.8 percent of women had normal blood pressure
levels 49.4 percent of men and 47.5 of women had hypertension. Since the data
suggests that both early elevations and changes over time in blood pressure
measurements impact the future risk of CVD, people can take preventive steps
early on to reduce their chances of heart attack or stroke
"Maintaining a healthy diet, combined with exercise and weight control, can help
reduce blood pressure levels and, consequently, your risk for CVD later in
life."