High blood pressure is a condition wherein the arteries cannot accommodate the flow of blood in their walls. It is well known as a silent killer because it can lead to serious diseases such as stroke, cardiovascular diseases, heart attack and kidney failure. Now, a recent study has revealed that women who have increased blood pressure are at a higher risk for dangerous complications than in men.
The study was published in the journal Therapeutic Advances in Cardiovascular Disease and the authors of the study were scientists from the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina. They found a significant difference in the mechanism or disease process that lead to high blood pressure in women compared to men.
According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in three adults in the United States have increased blood pressure. Hence, they are at risk for the two leading causes of death in the country as well as the world, stroke and heart attack.
According to Dr. Carlos Ferrario, the lead researcher of the study and professor of surgery at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, "This is the first study to consider sex as an element in the selection of antihypertensive agents or base the choice of a specific drug on the various factors accounting for the elevation in blood pressure."
Generally, the notion before was that high blood pressure was the same for both sexes and therefore. In order to derive at the results and identify the differences, they studied 100 men and women with uncontrolled and untreated high blood pressure. They were 53 years old and above. Furthermore, they do not have other diseases which was confirmed through specialized tests that were conducted.
The tests gauged and measured the forces that contributed in blood circulation which is termed as hemodynamic characteristics. They also tested hormonal profiles and other mechanisms involved in the development of high blood pressure.
For the results, when the two sexes were compared, they found out that women have 30 - 40% more vascular disease compared to males. Anatomically, they compared the physiologic differences in the cardiovascular systems of the women that involve levels and types of hormones that are responsible in the regulation of blood in women.
"Our study findings suggest a need to better understand the female sex-specific underpinnings of the hypertensive processes to tailor optimal treatments for this vulnerable population," Dr.Ferrario commented.
Accordingly, he recommends that new protocols should be implemented in terms of treating high blood pressure in women. They should be treated earlier and more aggressively than in men.
According to the study, during the past 20 to 30 years, there has been a significant decline in cardiovascular disease-related mortality in men. However, the same statistic does not apply to women.
Heart disease is now the leading cause of death in women. Thus, health officials are recommending lifestyle modifications such as eating a well-balanced diet which is low in sodium, increased physical activities and ample rest periods.
