Link Between Heart Attack and Blood Pressure Rise on Standing

Risk for heart attack rises with an increase in blood pressure on standing as per a study published in the American Heart Association's peer-reviewed journal Hypertension.

"This finding may warrant starting blood-pressure-lowering treatment including medicines earlier in patients with exaggerated blood pressure response to standing," says Paolo Palatini, MD, lead author of the study and a professor of internal medicine at the University of Padova in Padova, Italy.

‘Young and middle-aged adults with hypertension may have an increased risk of serious cardiovascular events with a substantial rise in blood pressure upon standing. ’

Hypertension is considered the world's leading preventable cause of death. However, around 40% of people globally and half of Americans have high blood pressure.

Moreover, people with hypertension in mid-life are five times more likely to have impaired cognitive function and twice as likely to experience reduced executive function, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease as per the American Heart Association's 2022 heart disease statistics.

"The results of the study confirmed our initial hypothesis - a pronounced increase in blood pressure from lying to standing could be prognostically important in young people with high blood pressure. We were rather surprised that even a relatively small increase in standing blood pressure (6–7 mm Hg) was predictive of major cardiac events in the long run." "The findings suggest that blood pressure upon standing should be measured in order to tailor treatment for patients with high blood pressure, and potentially, a more aggressive approach to lifestyle changes and blood-pressure-lowering therapy may be considered for people with an elevated [hyperreactor] blood pressure response to standing," says Palatini.

Source: Medindia