Britons with blood pressure readings considered 'normal' have been issued a serious health warning following groundbreaking new research. The study reveals that people in their thirties and forties could be unknowingly causing long-term damage to their hearts.
The Silent Threat to Young Hearts
According to research funded by the British Heart Foundation and published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, individuals with 'normal but high' blood pressure readings may be quietly damaging their heart muscle long before any symptoms appear. This hidden damage significantly increases the risk of experiencing a heart attack, stroke, or heart failure later in life.
The University College London study followed more than 450 people, tracking their blood pressure at ages 36, 43, 53, 62, 69, and 77. Researchers made a crucial discovery: those who had higher blood pressure in their thirties and forties, and maintained elevated readings over the subsequent decades, showed significantly reduced blood flow to their heart muscle by age 77.
Critical Findings from Decades of Research
The research demonstrated that the longer people maintained higher blood pressure, and the more sharply it increased, the greater the reduction in blood flow to the heart. This reduced blood flow was directly linked to an increased risk of major cardiac events in later life.
Alarmingly, the risk from higher or fast-rising blood pressure was detectable from as young as 36, even in individuals who wouldn't meet current criteria for a formal 'high blood pressure' diagnosis.
Study author Dr Gaby Captur, associate professor at UCL and consultant cardiologist at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, explained: 'Small, steady increases in blood pressure through adulthood, even if you have a 'normal but high' reading, can be quietly damaging the heart, long before symptoms appear. Your blood pressure in your thirties, we found, can affect the heart 40 years later.'
The Numbers Behind the Risk
The study quantified the risk with startling clarity. Every 10-point increase in systolic blood pressure – for example, moving from 120 to 130mmHg – between the ages of 36 and 69 was associated with up to a six per cent reduction in blood flow to the heart at age 77.
The most significant impact occurred during a critical window between ages 43 and 63. During this period, each 10-point increase in systolic blood pressure (such as rising from 120 to 140mmHg) was linked to a dramatic nine to 12 per cent reduction in blood flow to the heart decades later.
Perhaps most concerning is that every one per cent reduction in blood flow to the heart was associated with a three per cent higher risk of a major cardiac event – including heart attack, stroke, or heart failure.
Rethinking 'Normal' Blood Pressure
Part of the concern lies in what's currently considered 'normal'. A systolic reading between 120 and 140mmHg typically falls short of being classified as high blood pressure, often being labelled as 'pre-hypertension'. Current guidelines recommend medication only when systolic readings exceed 140mmHg (or 130mmHg for those with pre-existing cardiovascular disease).
However, this new research suggests that maintaining blood pressure below 120mmHg may be crucial for preserving vital blood flow to the heart in later years.
Professor Bryan Williams, chief scientific and medical officer at the BHF, emphasised the seriousness of the findings: 'Blood pressure is a silent killer, and the most important cause of heart attacks, strokes and early death in the UK each year. The reason we refer to blood pressure as the silent killer is that it is usually symptomless and blood pressure levels creep up gradually, so the only way of being sure you don't have high blood pressure is to get it checked.'
He added that the research should prompt doctors to reconsider recommending earlier lifestyle changes or medication to control elevated blood pressure, providing longer-term health benefits. If you are concerned about your blood pressure, you should speak to your GP.
