High Blood Pressure Runs In Families
Guys, listen up. When it comes to high blood pressure, the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree.
That's according to new study results that show if your parents have high blood pressure , you are likely to have it as well.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University tracked 1,160 men, first interviewed when they were medical students. The men were surveyed every year until they were in their 90s.
"Men with both parents with hypertension or men with one parent who was hypertensive before the age of 55 years had a much higher risk of developing hypertension, especially at a younger age," according to the study authors in a news release.
Early Onset Carries Bigger Risk
Here are some of the findings:
Researchers factored in the participants' physical activity. They also looked at how much alcohol and coffee the men drank and whether they smoked cigarettes.
According to the study's authors, the findings show that it's important for doctors to check with patients, especially younger ones, about whether their parents have high blood pressure.
In the news release, the authors add that the findings also "underscore the importance of primary prevention and blood pressure monitoring early in life in men with parental hypertension, especially those who have a parent with early onset hypertension."
The study appears in the March 24 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
By Kelley Colihan
Reviewed by Elizabeth Klodas
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