Overview
- Researchers using South Korea’s national health records studied 291,887 people with repeated blood pressure checks from ages 30 to 40 and then tracked heart and kidney outcomes after 40, presenting the results at the AHA EPI|Lifestyle 2026 meeting.
- A systolic level about 10 mm Hg higher than peers for roughly a decade was linked to a 27% higher risk of heart disease and a 22% higher risk of kidney disease.
- People in the highest fifth of cumulative systolic exposure were about 3.5 times more likely to develop heart conditions and about 3 times more likely to develop kidney disease than those in the lowest fifth.
- The observational study, which is not yet peer reviewed, found that results were similar in men and women and that links persisted after accounting for smoking and alcohol use.
- An American Heart Association guideline leader said the findings support the 2025 advice to start medication for stage 1 hypertension if lifestyle changes fail after 3 to 6 months and called for randomized trials in young adults.