Dataset Information

Blood pressure in early adulthood, hypertension in middle age, and future cardiovascular disease mortality: HAHS (Harvard Alumni Health Study).

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVES:We sought to examine the association of early adulthood blood pressure with cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, while accounting for middle-age hypertension. BACKGROUND:Elevated blood pressure in middle age is an established CVD risk factor, but evidence for association with measurements earlier in life is sparse. METHODS:The HAHS (Harvard Alumni Health Study) is a cohort study of 18,881 male university students who had their blood pressure measured at university entry (1914 to 1952; mean age 18.3 years) and who responded to a questionnaire mailed in either 1962 or 1966 (mean age 45.8 years) in which physician-diagnosed hypertension status was reported. Study members were subsequently followed for mortality until the end of 1998. RESULTS:Following adjustment for age, body mass index, smoking, and physical activity at college entry, compared with men who were normotensive according to the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure criteria (<120/<80 mm Hg), there was an elevated risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality (1,917 deaths) in those who were pre-hypertensive (120 to 139/80 to 89 mm Hg) (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.21; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07 to 1.36), stage 1 (140 to 159/90 to 99 mm Hg) (HR: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.25 to 1.70), and stage 2 hypertensive (?160/?100 mm Hg) (HR: 1.89; 95% CI: 1.46 to 2.45), incremental across categories (p(trend) < 0.001). After additionally accounting for middle-age hypertension, estimates were somewhat attenuated, but the pattern remained. Similar associations were apparent for total and CVD mortality, but not stroke mortality. CONCLUSIONS:Higher blood pressure in early adulthood was associated with elevated risk of all-cause mortality, CVD, and CHD, but not stroke, several decades later. Effects largely persisted after taking into account mediation by middle-age hypertension. Thus, the long-term benefits of blood pressure lowering in early adulthood are promising, but supporting trial data are required.

SUBMITTER: Gray L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3253414 | biostudies-other | 2011 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Blood pressure in early adulthood, hypertension in middle age, and future cardiovascular disease mortality: HAHS (Harvard Alumni Health Study).

Gray Linsay L Lee I-Min IM Sesso Howard D HD Batty G David GD

Journal of the American College of Cardiology 20111101 23

<h4>Objectives</h4>We sought to examine the association of early adulthood blood pressure with cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, while accounting for middle-age hypertension.<h4>Background</h4>Elevated blood pressure in middle age is an established CVD risk factor, but evidence for association with measurements earlier in life is sparse.<h4>Methods</h4>The HAHS (Harvard Alumni Health Study) is a cohort study of 18,881 male university students who had their blood pressure measured at univer ...[more]

PMID: 22115646

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Project description:ImportanceDetermining blood pressure (BP) patterns in young adulthood that are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in later life may help to identify young adults who have an increased risk for CVD.ObjectiveTo determine whether the long-term variability of BP across clinical visits and the rate of change in BP from young adulthood to midlife are associated with CVD and all-cause mortality by middle age, independently of mean BP during young adulthood and a single BP in midlife.Design, setting, and participantsThis prospective cohort study included a community-based sample of 3394 African American and white participants in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study, enrolled from March 1985 through June 1986. Patterns of systolic BP (SBP) were evaluated with measurements at year 0 (baseline) and 2, 5, 7, and 10 years after baseline. Visit-to-visit SBP variability was estimated as BP variability independent of the mean (VIM). Data were collected from March 1985 through August 2015 and analyzed from June through October 2019.Main outcomes and measuresCardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality experienced through August 2015 were adjudicated. The associations of each SBP pattern with CVD events and all-cause mortality were determined using Cox proportional hazards regression models.ResultsAt year 10, the mean (SD) age of the 3394 participants was 35.1 (3.6) years; 1557 (45.9%) were African American; 1892 (55.7%) were women; and 103 (3.0%) were taking antihypertensive medication. During a median follow-up of 20.0 (interquartile range, 19.4-20.2) years, 162 CVD events and 181 deaths occurred. When all BP pattern measurements were entered into the same model including a single SBP measurement at the year 10 examination, the hazard ratios for CVD events for each 1-SD increase in SBP measures were 1.25 (95% CI, 0.90-1.74) for mean SBP, 1.23 (95% CI, 1.07-1.43) for VIM SBP, and 0.99 (95% CI, 0.81-1.26) for annual change of SBP. The VIM for SBP was the only BP pattern associated with all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.09-1.41).Conclusions and relevanceThe results of this study suggest that the assessment of visit-to-visit SBP variability may help identify young adults at increased risk for CVD and all-cause mortality later in life.

Project description:ImportanceSingle measures of blood pressure (BP) levels are associated with the development of atherosclerosis; however, long-term patterns in BP and their effect on cardiovascular disease risk are poorly characterized.ObjectivesTo identify common BP trajectories throughout early adulthood and to determine their association with presence of coronary artery calcification (CAC) during middle age.Design, setting, and participantsProspective cohort data from 4681 participants in the CARDIA study, who were black and white men and women aged 18 to 30 years at baseline in 1985-1986 at 4 urban US sites, collected through 25 years of follow-up (2010-2011). We examined systolic BP, diastolic BP, and mid-BP (calculated as [SBP+DBP]/2, an important marker of coronary heart disease risk among younger populations) at baseline and years 2, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20, and 25. Latent mixture modeling was used to identify trajectories in systolic, diastolic, and mid-BP over time.Main outcomes and measuresCoronary artery calcification greater than or equal to Agatston score of 100 Hounsfield units (HU) at year 25.ResultsWe identified 5 distinct mid-BP trajectories: low-stable (21.8%; 95% CI, 19.9%-23.7%; n=987), moderate-stable (42.3%; 40.3%-44.3%; n=2085), moderate-increasing (12.2%; 10.4%-14.0%; n=489), elevated-stable (19.0%; 17.1%-20.0%; n=903), and elevated-increasing (4.8%; 4.0%-5.5%; n=217). Compared with the low-stable group, trajectories with elevated BP levels had greater odds of having a CAC score of 100 HU or greater. Adjusted odds ratios were 1.44 (95% CI, 0.83-2.49) for moderate-stable, 1.86 (95% CI, 0.91-3.82) for moderate-increasing, 2.28 (95% CI, 1.24-4.18), for elevated-stable, and 3.70 (95% CI, 1.66-8.20) for elevated-increasing groups. The adjusted prevalence of a CAC score of 100 HU or higher was 5.8% in the low-stable group. These odds ratios represent an absolute increase of 2.7%, 5%, 6.3%, and 12.9% for the prevalence of a CAC score of 100 HU or higher for the moderate-stable, moderate-increasing, elevated-stable and elevated-increasing groups, respectively, compared with the low-stable group. Associations were not altered after adjustment for baseline and year 25 BP. Findings were similar for trajectories of isolated systolic BP trajectories but were attenuated for diastolic BP trajectories.Conclusions and relevanceBlood pressure trajectories throughout young adulthood vary, and higher BP trajectories were associated with an increased risk of CAC in middle age. Long-term trajectories in BP may assist in more accurate identification of individuals with subclinical atherosclerosis.

Project description:ImportanceData are sparse regarding which blood pressure (BP) components in young adulthood optimally determine cardiovascular disease (CVD) by middle age.ObjectivesTo assess which BP components best determine incident CVD events in young adults and determine whether these associations vary by race and age at BP measurement.Design, setting, and participantsUsing data from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, this study assessed the longitudinal race-stratified associations between BP and cardiovascular outcomes. CARDIA is a community-based cohort that recruited black and white individuals (age range, 18-30 years) from March 26, 1985, through June 7, 1986. CARDIA followed up participants for up to 28 years, and 94% of the surviving cohort completed at least 1 telephone interview or examination from August 2009 through August 2014.ExposuresBlood pressures measubred at baseline (Y0) and 15 years later (Y15).Main outcomes and measuresComposite CVD events, including coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, and other vascular diseases.ResultsA total of 4880 participants participated in the study (mean [SD] age, 24.9 [3.6] years at Y0 and 25.0 [3.6] years at Y15; 2223 male [45.6%] at Y0 and 1800 [44.2%] at Y15; 2657 female [54.4%] at Y0 and 2277 [55.8%] at Y0; 2473 black individuals [50.7%] at Y0 and 1994 [48.9%] at Y15; and 2407 white individuals [49.3%] at Y0 and 2083 [51.1%] at Y15). The mean SBP/DBP was 112/69 mm Hg in blacks and 109/68 mm Hg in whites at Y0 and 117/77 mm Hg in blacks and 110/72 mm Hg in whites at Y15. During a 25-year follow-up from Y0, 210 CVD events occurred (twice as many events in blacks [n?=?140] compared with whites), of which 131 (87 in blacks) occurred after Y15. With adjustments for covariates, results from Cox proportional hazards models, including SBP and DBP, jointly suggested that, at Y0, SBP (hazard ratio [HR] per 1-SD increase, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.09-1.61) but not DBP (HR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.88-1.26) was associated with CVD risk in blacks, whereas DBP (HR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.21-2.50) but not SBP (HR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.57-1.18) was associated with CVD risk in whites. At Y15, SBP was the strongest indicator of CVD in blacks (HR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.25-2.16) and whites (HR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.02-2.69).Conclusions and relevanceThis study questions the classic view that DBP is more able to identify future CVD events than SBP in all individuals younger than 50 years. In young adulthood, SBP in black individuals and DBP in white individuals were the most robust indicators of future CVD. In middle-age, SBP in both races identified risk of incident CVD.

Dataset Information

Blood pressure in early adulthood, hypertension in middle age, and future cardiovascular disease mortality: HAHS (Harvard Alumni Health Study).

Publications

Blood pressure in early adulthood, hypertension in middle age, and future cardiovascular disease mortality: HAHS (Harvard Alumni Health Study).

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