Research shows that wealthier men are more likely to develop hypertension

Over one billion people worldwide have high blood pressure. About 30-45% of adults are affected, and it has risen to more than 60% of people over the age of 60. High blood pressure is the leading cause of premature death worldwide, killing about 10 million people in 2015. Of these, 4.9 million are due to ischemic heart disease and 3.5 million are due to stroke.

More than 10 million people in Japan alone blood pressure, And that number continues to grow. “High-income men need to improve their lifestyles to prevent hypertension,” said research author Dr. Shingo Yanagiya of the Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University in Sapporo. “Hypertension is a lifestyle-related disease. As a doctor looking at these patients, I wanted to know if risks could change by socioeconomic class and focus on preventive efforts.”

This analysis of the J-HOPE3 study investigated the relationship between household income and hypertension among Japanese employees. A total of 4,314 staff (3,153 men, 1,161 women) with daytime jobs and normal blood pressure were registered in 2012 from 12 workplaces.

Workers were divided into four groups, which were less than 5 million yen, 5 to 7.9 million yen, 8 to 9.9 million yen, and 10 million yen or more according to household annual income. The researchers investigated the association between two years of income and the development of hypertension.

Compared to men in the lowest income category, men in the highest income group were almost twice as likely to develop hypertension. Men in the 5 to 7.9 million and 8 to 9.9 million groups had a 50% higher risk of developing hypertension compared to men with the lowest income, but a positive association was statistically significant in the 8 to 9.9 million groups. I didn’t reach sex.

The findings were consistent regardless of age and were independent of baseline blood pressure, workplace, occupation, family size, or smoking. After considering alcohol consumption and body mass index (BMI; kg/m2), these relationships weakened slightly, both being higher in men in the high-income group.

In women, there was no significant association between income and blood pressure. However, women with higher household incomes tended to have a lower risk of developing hypertension.

Dr. Yanagiya said, “In some previous studies in Japan, increased household income was associated with a less desirable lifestyle for men, not women.” “Our study confirms this: women, rather than men, were more likely to have a higher household income and were more likely to be obese and drink alcohol daily. Both behaviors were major risk factors for hypertension. ”

“Man with high daytime salaries is at particular risk of hypertension. This applies to men of all ages, and improving their health behavior can significantly reduce the chance of heart attack or stroke.”

Dr. Yusuke Yoshikawa, Public Relations Coordinator of JCS 2020, said: “Hypertension is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular disease in Japan, as it has a much higher average daily salt intake (about 10 g/day) in Japan. With a strong recommendation for a healthy lifestyle to control, this study suggests a potential key for successful interventions for people at risk for heart disease and stroke.”

“Steps include healthy eating, exercising, and weight management. You should keep your alcohol at a reasonable level and avoid heavy drinking,” Dr. Yanagiya said.

“We are very pleased to announce that the ESC program is being conducted by JCS 2020,” said Michel Komajda, a former ESC chairman and course director of the JCS 2020 ESC program. “ESC is pleased to be able to participate in JCS 2020 in Kyoto. A special partnership with JCS and high quality Japanese studies. Japan is the top submitter of abstracts to the ESC Congress.” (Ani)