In sickness and in health: High BP often correlates between spouses

For better and for worse. If one partner in a heterosexual couple has high blood pressure, the other may also have it, a new study found. Recently published in the journal of the American Heart Association, the study showed hypertension is concurrent in nearly half oef the couples studied. “Your patient's spouse may be the key to their health,” concluded the authors, saying, “couple-centred therapeutic interventions can change the paradigm of our perception of marital relationships in order to prevent and manage noncommunicable diseases.”Previous research has explored links between high blood pressure and other diseases among couples in a single country or among regional samples. In this study, scientists focused on heterosexual households living in the United States, England, China and India.READ: Low-dose steroids in RA not so bad in terms of weight, blood pressure“Our study is the first to examine the co-occurrence of high blood pressure in couples from high- and middle-income countries,” said co-senior author of the study, Jithin Sam Varghese, in a press release. “We wanted to see if many couples who often have the same interests, living environment, lifestyle habits, and health outcomes also share high blood pressure,” said the research assistant professor at the Global Diabetes Research Center at Emory University in Atlanta. To address this premise, researchers analyzed the blood pressure of 3,989 American couples, 1,086 British couples, 6,514 Chinese couples, and 22,389 Indian couples using cross-sectional data. Couples were defined as heterosexual people living in the same household and reporting being married or partnered.The average age of male spouses was 65.7 years in the United States, 74.2 years in England, 61.5 years in China and 57.2 years in India. That of female spouses was 62.9 years in the United States, 72.5 years in England, 59.2 years in China and 51.1 years in India. Participants considered hypertensive had one of these characteristics: systolic greater than 140 mm Hg, diastolic greater than 90 mm Hg, or a history of high blood pressure noted by a healthcare professional.Key results:The rate of hypertension in both spouses was approximately 47% in England, 38% in the United States, 21% in China and 20% in India.Women whose partners had high blood pressure were 9% more likely to have it in the United States and England, 19% in India and 26% in China, compared to those whose partners did not.In each country, similar associations were observed for husbands. No gender differences were observed when comparing associations between husbands and wives.“The prevalence of concordant hypertension among couples is higher in the United States and England than in China and India. However, the association of hypertension between couples is stronger in China and India,” noted co-author Peiyi Lu, postdoctoral researcher in epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health from Columbia University “One of the explanations could be cultural. In China and India, there is a strong belief in spending time together as a family, so couples can have a greater influence on each other's health.”READ: QUIZ: Managing hypertensionBased on their findings, the researchers called for a review of how hypertension and other cardiometabolic diseases—such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity—are prevented, detected and treated. “Current clinical guidelines and public health approaches to the prevention and management of these diseases are primarily focused on the individual. With accumulating evidence of disease concordance among spouses, families, and communities, we urge researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to reevaluate the current paradigm of individual-centred health through innovative interventions targeting families and communities at risk,” they wrote in conclusion of their study.Preventing hypertension through lifestyle changes (being more active, eating healthier, reducing stress) can in particular be more difficult to achieve, and to maintain, if the spouse does not adopt them, emphasized Bethany Barone Gibbs, an associate professor at the West Virginia University School of Public Health, who believes “couple-centred interventions may therefore be an effective strategy for preventing and managing hypertension.”According to the most recent data from Statistics Canada, nearly one in four Canadians (24% of men and 23% of women) aged 20 to 79 had hypertension in 2015. The prevalence of hypertension increases significantly with age: Canadians (71%) aged 70 to 79 are approximately three times more likely to suffer from it than their fellow citizens (men 25%) (women 21%) aged 40 to 59. Globally, hypertension is considered the main risk factor for cardiovascular disease and premature death.Read: Obesity drug Wegovy cut risk of serious heart problems by 20%, study finds

In sickness and in health: High BP often correlates between spouses

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