Study: Couples may have high blood pressure at the same time

[New Sancai Compilation First Release] If your blood pressure rises over time, your partner's blood pressure may also rise, a new international study finds.

"Many people know that high blood pressure is common in middle-aged and older people, but we were surprised to find that in many older couples in the United States, United Kingdom, China, and India, both husbands and wives have high blood pressure," said the study's senior author. Dr. Chihua Li is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Michigan.

"For example, in the United States, more than 35% of couples aged 50 or above have high blood pressure." Dr. Li said. His team published the findings Dec. 6 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

High blood pressure is a common disease among Americans, and the risk of high blood pressure increases with age. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), nearly half (about 47%) of American adults had hypertension in 2020, leading to 120,000 deaths that year.

In the new study, Dr. Li and colleagues examined the incidence of hypertension in nearly 34,000 couples around the world: 4,000 American couples, 1,100 British couples, more than 6,500 Chinese couples and more than 22,000 Indian couples. Data were collected between 2015 and 2019, depending on the country.

High blood pressure is defined as systolic blood pressure (the upper number in the reading) above 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure above 90 mmHg as measured by a health professional.

The study sought to understand whether many married couples, who often share the same interests, living circumstances, habits and health conditions, also suffer from high blood pressure.

This study seems to support this idea: "The prevalence of having a spouse or partner with hypertension is approximately 47% in the UK; 38% in the US; 21% in China; and 20% in India," according to the findings.

The results did not appear to change regardless of the couple's income, age, education, or length of marriage.

Research says there are many things individuals and couples can do to avoid high blood pressure. "Lifestyle changes, such as being more active, reducing stress, or eating a healthier diet, can lower blood pressure; however, these changes can be difficult to achieve if your spouse or partner doesn't make the changes with you."

(Compiled by: Wang Jimin)
(Editor: Jiang Qiming)
(Source of the article: First published by Xinsancai)