High blood pressure may lead
to abnormal heart rhythm: Study
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a common health
condition that affects millions of people across the globe. It occurs when your
blood pressure rises to abnormal levels that lead to an array of symptoms like
headaches, shortness of breath, nosebleeds, chest pain, etc. If left untreated,
the high force of blood against the artery walls can damage blood vessels and
lead to cardiovascular diseases. This is the reason why it is also referred to
as a silent killer that creeps in your system and wreaks havoc.
High Blood Pressure Linked With Atrial Fibrillation
A new study published in the European Journal
of Preventive Cardiology recently revealed that hypertension causes atrial fibrillation (abnormal heart rhythm). It is the
most common heart rhythm disorder, which has affected more than 40 million in
the world. People suffering from this condition are five times more likely to
get a stroke.
Dr Georgios Georgiopoulos of King’s College London, UK
and National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece found that elevated
blood pressure levels can lead to atrial fibrillation. He said that there is a
need for public health strategies that aim at improving blood pressure control
in the general population.
The Key Findings
For the study, the researchers analyzed the data from
the largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) on blood pressure and atrial
fibrillation. Out of the 1 million individuals, 60,620 had atrial fibrillation
and 9,70,216 did not suffer from it.
The team first identified 894 genetic variants,
associated with blood pressure, that play a role in atrial fibrillation. They
randomly allocated the 894 genetic variants to all participants in the
beginning to conduct a controlled trial. Next, the began analyzing the link
between hypertension and atrial fibrillation.
They found that 1 mmHg increase in systolic blood
pressure, diastolic blood pressure and pulse pressure with 1.8 per cent, 2.6
per cent, and 1.4 per cent relative increases in the risk of atrial
fibrillation, respectively. According to the researchers, the findings suggest
that there is strong evidence of a “causal relationship between blood pressure
and atrial fibrillation.”
“Using genetic information in the analysis minimized
the likelihood of reverse causality (i.e. that atrial fibrillation causes high
blood pressure) or that other trait linked with atrial fibrillation
(confounders) were responsible.”
Source: https://www.thehealthsite.com/news
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