BP in Early 40s Signals Arterial Stiffness Risk in Women

TOPLINE:

Women aged around 42 years with elevated blood pressure (BP) or hypertension faced a substantially higher risk for increased arterial stiffness nearly three decades later — a pattern not seen in men of the same age.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers investigated whether sex influenced the association between BP in early midlife and arterial stiffness in later life.
• They included 1127 women and 938 men with a mean age of 42 years and categorised them as those having non-elevated BP (< 120/70 mm Hg), elevated BP (120-139/70-89 mm Hg), and hypertension (≥ 140/90 mm Hg) at baseline.
• Arterial stiffness was defined as carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity exceeding 10 m/sec, measured at follow-up after 27 years.

TAKEAWAY:

• At baseline, fewer women than men had elevated BP (62% vs 67%) and hypertension (9% vs 26%; P < .001); at follow-up, men had higher average systolic BP than women (P < .01), with no difference observed in average diastolic BP.
• At follow-up, 17% of women vs 31% of men had increased arterial stiffness (P < .001 for both).
• Elevated BP (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.78) and hypertension (aOR, 4.62; P < .001 for both) at 42 years of age were associated with an increased risk for arterial stiffness after 27 years in women, but not in men.

IN PRACTICE:

“[The study] findings underscore the importance of managing BP in early midlife for optimal CVD [cardiovascular disease] prevention in women,” the authors of the study wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Ester Kringeland, MD, PhD, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway. It was published online on June 28, 2025, in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

LIMITATIONS:

This study included a predominantly Caucasian population from a small region in Western Norway, limiting the generalisability. Data on cardiovascular risk factors in women, such as pregnancy-related complications and endometriosis, were missing. The prevalence of diabetes may have been underreported as the fasting blood glucose level was not measured at baseline.

DISCLOSURES:

This study received funding from Helse Vest. The authors reported having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.