Key result
Higher systolic blood pressure linked to ~20% greater CVD risk per 10 mmHg.
Why the study?
Few contemporary studies have examined blood pressure in young adults as a risk factor for future cardiovascular events or reported sex-specific cardiovascular risk in a population with declining blood pressure.
Does blood pressure level predict future cardiovascular disease events in young adults?
Cohort (n=5,933)
Does blood pressure level predict future cardiovascular disease events in young adults?
In a contemporary cohort of young adults, both systolic and diastolic blood pressure remain strong, independent predictors of long-term cardiovascular events, with equal risk in men and women.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
BP in young adults predicts long-term CVD events; extends observational data but leaves causal effects of early intervention open.
Objective: In Norway and in certain other Western countries there has been a steady decline in population blood pressure (BP) through decades especially shown in young and middle-aged individuals. However, few, hardly any contemporary study has investigated BP in young adults as a risk factor for future cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and reported sex-specific CVD risk in a country with a major decline in population BP. Therefore, we investigated the long-term impact of BP on CVD in a large cohort of Norwegian young adults.Design and method: Individuals (n=5933) from the “Oslo Health Study” (HUBRO) had their BP measured in the year 2000. CVD events during follow-up were obtained by linkage with mandatory national health registries through 2024. Multivariate Cox analyses were performed to assess the risk of CVD. An interaction test was included for sex-specific analyses. Results: The median age at inclusion was 31 years (interquartile range (IQR); 30-31) and 56% were women. The median systolic and diastolic BP at baseline was 122 (IQR 114-130) and 69 (IQR 63-75) mmHg, respectively. After 24 years of follow-up, 158 (2.7%) CVD events had occurred. The adjusted hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval) for CVD events per 10 mmHg increase in systolic and 5 mmHg increase in diastolic BP was 1.20 (1.03-1.39) and 1.20 (1.10-1.31), respectively. The HR per 10 mmHg increase in systolic BP was 1.30 (1.01-1.68) in women and 1.15 (0.96-1.38) in men. No significant sex-interaction between systolic BP and risk of CVD event was found (P=0.38). The HR per 5 mmHg increase in diastolic BP was 1.20 (1.03-1.41) in women and 1.20 (1.07-1.34) in men. Conclusions: In young adults from the general population, systolic and diastolic BP were related to the risk of CVD events during long-term follow-up, and the risk was equal between women and men. Despite a major and steady BP decline in the general population in Norway, BP remains a strong CVD risk factor in young adults. New approaches may thus be needed to detect and treat BP to prevent cardiovascular disease in young adults.
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Aaseth et al. (2026) conducted a cohort in Cardiovascular disease risk (n=5,933). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure vs. Lower blood pressure (per 10 mmHg systolic or 5 mmHg diastolic increase) was evaluated on Cardiovascular disease (CVD) events (HR 1.20, 95% CI 1.03-1.39). Each 10 mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure was associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease events over 24 years (HR 1.20; 95% CI 1.03-1.39).
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