CVD Risk Increased with Normal Range SBP

A US cohort study revealed that beginning with a systolic blood pressure (SBP) level of 90 mm Hg, there was a stepwise increase in the prevalence of traditional atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk factors, coronary artery calcium, and the risk of ASCVD. The study included 1457 participants free of ASCVD (61.4% women; mean age 58.1 years) with mean follow-up of 14.5 years. There was an increase in traditional ASCVD risk factors, coronary artery calcium, and incident ASCVD events with increasing SBP levels. The adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) for ASCVD was 1.53 for every 10-mm Hg increase in SBP levels. Compared with persons with SBP levels 90 to 99 mm Hg, the aHR for ASCVD risk was 3.00 for SBP levels 100 to 109 mm Hg, 3.10 for SBP levels 110 to 119 mm Hg, and 4.58 for SBP levels 120 to 129 mm Hg. The results highlight the importance of primordial prevention, a healthy lifestyle beginning at the earliest age, to maintain optimal SBP levels as well as optimal values of other traditional ASCVD risk factors, all of which generally have similar trajectories of risk within conventionally considered normal ranges. Source: https://jamanetwork.com/