Sex differences in blood pressure phenotypes over time - the HELIUS study

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Health
• Hypertension Phenotyping
• Sex-Based Risk Assessment

Background:

• Hypertension classification varies by systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP).
• Phenotypical differences in BP have distinct prognostic values for younger men and women.
• Limited data exists on sex-specific longitudinal changes in BP phenotypes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate sex differences in the natural progression of hypertension phenotypes in adults under 45.
• To compare the risk of developing hypertension over time across different baseline BP phenotypes in men and women.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the multiethnic, population-based HELIUS study.
• Stratified participants (aged <45 years) into normotension, isolated systolic hypertension (ISH), isolated diastolic hypertension (IDH), and systolic diastolic hypertension (SDH) groups.
• Employed logistic regression, adjusted for covariates, to determine the risk of hypertension at follow-up.

Main Results:

• Included 4103 participants with a median follow-up of 6.2 years.
• All hypertension phenotypes showed increased odds of developing hypertension at follow-up compared to normotension.
• Women consistently exhibited higher odds ratios for developing hypertension across all phenotypes compared to men, most notably in the IDH group.

Conclusions:

• Women, particularly those with isolated diastolic hypertension, face a significantly higher risk of hypertension development over time compared to men.
• These findings highlight the critical need for close blood pressure monitoring in young individuals, with a particular emphasis on women.