Adolescent hypertension linked with increased risk of stroke in young adulthood

Adolescent hypertension may be a significant risk factor for stroke in young adulthood, according to a new study.

The study found that out of the 1,900,384 adolescents included in the final sample, 18 (0.35%) had a history of adolescent hypertension, and 1474 (0.08%) incidences of stroke were recorded. Of the incidences of stroke, 1236 (84%) were ischemic strokes. The median age of stroke occurrence was 43 years.

The study revealed that adolescents with a history of hypertension had a hazard ratio of 2.4 (95% CI, 1.5-3.9) for incident stroke after adjustment for body mass index and baseline sociodemographic factors. Further adjustment for diabetes status yielded a hazard ratio of 2.1 (1.3-3.5). The findings were consistent in sensitivity analyses for overall stroke and ischemic stroke only.

Reference
Fishman B, Bardugo A, Zloof Y, et al. Adolescent Hypertension Is Associated With Stroke in Young Adulthood: A Nationwide Cohort of 1.9 Million Adolescents. Stroke. 2023;doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.122.042100. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37139816.