Heart News
Women with normal blood pressure might be at higher risk of cardiovascular disease
Surprise finding suggests that blood pressure guidance should be revised downwards for women
Women have a lower “ normal ” blood pressure range compared to men , according to new research findings that contradict conventional medical guidance .
Established blood pressure guidelines state that women and men have the same healthy range of blood pressure , but the new research , published in the journal Circulation , shows there are actually differences between the sexes .
“ Our latest findings suggest that this one-size-fits-all approach to considering blood pressure may be detrimental to a woman ’ s health ,” said Dr Susan Cheng , an associate professor of cardiology at the Smidt Heart Institute and senior author of the study , on announcing the findings .
“ Based on our research results , we recommend that the medical community reassess blood pressure guidelines that do not account for sex differences ,” she said .
For years , 120 mmHg has been considered the normal upper limit for systolic blood pressure in all adults . Persistent elevations above this limit amount to hypertension , which is well known as a key risk factor for common cardiovascular diseases , such as heart attack , heart failure , and stroke .
Dr Cheng and her team examined blood pressure measurements in more than 27,000 participants , 54 percent of whom were women , and found that while 120 mmHg was the threshold of risk in men , 110 mmHg or lower was the threshold of risk in women .
Women also had a lower blood pressure threshold than men for risk of each specific cardiovascular disease type , including heart attack , heart failure , and stroke .
As a next step , researchers plan to study whether women should be treated for hypertension when their systolic blood pressure is higher than 110 but still lower than the systolic measurement of 120 for men .
Good relationships are a better predictor of future health than cholesterol tests
Research shows that a strong partnership can influence health in a number of ways
Studies have shown that the supportive nature of marriage can protect the heart . A 2017 study in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that unmarried people with heart disease were 52 percent more likely to have a heart attack or die from a cardiovascular problem after nearly four years , compared with married heart patients .
Overall , the death rate for married people is lower than that of single , divorced , or widowed individuals , according to America ’ s National Centre for Health Statistics .
Even imaging studies show that viewing pictures of one ’ s romantic partner activates the parts of the brain that relate to mood and pain regulation . Thinking about a partner also may boost energy by positively affecting blood glucose levels .
In a TED talk about what constitutes a good life , Dr Robert Waldinger , the director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development , which has been tracking groups of people since 1938 , revealed that stable relationships at midlife were a better predictor of being healthy and happy 30 years later than cholesterol levels .
The clearest message from the study , he told the audience , is this : “ Good relationships keep us happier and healthier . Period .”
He suggested that good relationships calm people down from the fight-or-flight response that kicks in when they ’ re scared or angry .
“ If you have a really lousy day and something bad happens , and you go home and there ’ s somebody you can talk to about it , you can almost literally feel your body decompress as you talk about what was wrong , especially if you have somebody who ’ s a good listener and maybe says a few encouraging things ,” he said .
20 APRIL 2021 GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com