Increased blood pressure in adolescence and a relative rise in blood pressure from adolescence to adulthood seems to increase the risk of developing clogged arteries (atherosclerosis) in adulthood, according to recent research.
In the Atherosclerosis Risk in Young Adults (ARYA) study, researchers from the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands assessed atherosclerosis in 750 young adults by measuring the thickness of the arteries in the neck (carotid intima-media thickness; CIMT) using ultrasound. All the subjects had at least one blood pressure measurement recorded at around 13 years of age.
It was found that systolic blood pressure, the top number in a blood pressure reading, during adolescence correlated directly with CIMT. For each standard deviation above a normal blood pressure, the CIMT increased by 7.5 micrometers. A similar direct relationship was also seen between other pressures, such as pulse pressure and mean arterial pressure, and CIMT. After adjusting for several factors including sex, age, and adolescent body mass index, systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure remained significantly associated with CIMT. After also considering adult blood pressure, only adolescent pulse pressure remained a significant predictor of CIMT.
The researchers also found that a relative rise in blood pressure from adolescence to adulthood was tied to an increased CIMT. The results strengthen the notion that the process of increasing cardiovascular risk is already initiated at adolescence. Each standard deviation that the adolescent blood pressure is above normal increases the adult risk of heart disease by 1.9%.
American Journal of Hypertension, July 2003