Can Hypertension Raise The Risk Of Heart Failure Even Among Young Population?

The simple answer is Yes! Hypertension (High or raised blood pressure) can be considered as the most prevalent modifiable risk factor for the occurrence of cardiovascular disease events. The occurrence of hypertension among older adolescents and young adults (18-39 years), is progressively increasing and now goes beyond 20 percent.

Hypertension detected in late adolescence and young adulthood significantly increases long-term risk of adverse cardiovascular disease events. It is known that increased blood pressure during young adulthood may give rise to vascular damage leading to clinical events and mortality later in life. Hypertension is the commonest risk factor for the development of ischemic heart disease, hemorrhagic and ischemic strokes. High blood pressure increases the workload of the heart, which leads to increased thickness and stiffness of heart muscle. This leads to poor relaxation of heart which leads to heart failure. Hypertension is the commonest cause of diastolic heart failure.

High blood pressure even in the young population should not be overlooked, this condition should be treated in the same way and with the same attention to achieve blood pressure (BP) targets as for older adults. As per recommendations of current clinical practice guidelines, target a BP of <130/80 mm Hg for any adult treated with drug therapy for raised blood pressure, including youngsters. As in older adults, primary or essential hypertension is reported as the most common etiology of high blood pressure in older adolescents and young adults. Among those with secondary causes of hypertension, the most common etiologies are kidney diseases and renovascular diseases.

How to keep blood pressure in check:

1. The most important factor for control of hypertension especially in the younger population is by raising awareness of its increasing prevalence and long term ill effects of poor control of high blood pressure.
2. Hypertension is largely a lifestyle disorder and is caused by lifestyle behaviours such as poor dietary choices, increasingly sedentary lifestyles, and increasing smoking and alcohol consumption.
3. Inculcating healthy lifestyles like increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables, avoiding fatty and junk foods, avoiding smoking and alcohol consumption, doing regular physical activity and reducing or managing mental stress would go a long way in controlling hypertension and its ill effects.
4. Lastly, regular monitoring and titration of medications to achieve target blood pressure is very very important in the management of hypertension.