If you think Hypertension is a problem with people above 40 years of age then think again. In their recent study, the Journal of the Association of Physicians of India (JAPI) released a shocker that hypertension is increasing in young adults.It claimed that one in every 8 adults in age group 20 to 40 years were diagnosed with high blood pressure. They went on to blame the unhealthy lifestyle due to smoking, obesity and mental stress as prime factors. Doctors warn that in the light of the current lifestyle trends, the numbers are only expected to rise in the future.Experts are also of the opinion that young people are at a greater risk because most of them go undiagnosed and remain dismissive about their condition until further complications develop. Consistently high blood pressure exerts undue pressure onto the arteries and hence slowly causes damage to all organs of the body, especially the heart.
Studies have found that elevated blood pressure levels cause left ventricular hypertrophy or wall-thickening of the main pumping centre of the heart, which has been predicted to cause future cardiovascular events. An increasing number of youngsters are now also being detected for hardened arteries, due to plaque accumulation along the inner walls of the arteries, which is another risk factor for future heart disease.Warning of the early signs to look out for, Dr Mohammed Sadiq Azam, Consultant Cardiologist and Certified Cardiac Device Specialist, KIMS Hospitals, Secunderabad, says, “Hypertension can manifest as headaches, neck pain or giddiness. Especially, early morning pain at the back of the head is a very common symptom of raised BP. But unfortunately, many times people attribute it to migraine or cervical spondylitis and do not check BP this delaying diagnosis and treatment of hypertension.”Maintaining a healthy weight, adopting a low-fat diet and exercising regularly can help you prevent as well as manage hypertension. However, alongside lifestyle changes, it is also important to diagnose and manage the disease in its earliest stages to ensure happier, healthier living ahead.