A1 Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä lehdessä
Blood pressure in childhood, young- and mid-adulthood: association with carotid plaque severity
Tekijät: Meng, Yaxing; Koskinen, Juhani S.; Thomson, Russell; Juonala, Markus; Pahkala, Katja; Mykkanen, Juha; Rovio, Suvi P.; Kaehoenen, Mika; Lehtimaki, Terho; Viikari, Jorma S. A.; Raitakari, Olli T.; Magnussen, Costan G.
Kustantaja: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Kustannuspaikka: OXFORD
Julkaisuvuosi: 2025
Journal: European Heart Journal
Tietokannassa oleva lehden nimi: European Heart Journal
Lehden akronyymi: EUR HEART J
Sivujen määrä: 11
ISSN: 0195-668X
eISSN: 1522-9645
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf139
Verkko-osoite: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf139
Background and aims: Blood pressure (BP) is a key modifiable risk factor for atherosclerosis. How BP across different life stages associates with carotid plaque in mid-adulthood remains unclear, which is the aim of this study.
Methods: The sample included 1889 participants from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study who had their BP measured in childhood (6-18 years), young adulthood (21-39 years), and mid-adulthood (40-56 years). Outcomes were the carotid plaque presence and area in mid-adulthood. A Bayesian relevant life-course exposure model was used to estimate the life-course association of BP with carotid plaque and determine the relative contributions attributed to each life stage.
Results: After a 38-year follow-up, 745 participants (39.4%) developed carotid plaques. Cumulative systolic BP (SBP) from childhood, young-, and mid-adulthood was associated with carotid plaque presence in mid-adulthood [for each 1-SD increase (∼12 mm Hg), relative risk (95% credible intervals (CrIs)): 1.22 (1.10-1.36)], with SBP at each life stage contributing approximately equally (relative weights: childhood, 39.4%; young adulthood, 37.9%; mid-adulthood, 22.7%). Cumulative SBP was associated with carotid plaque areas [β (95% CrIs), 0.16 (0.08-0.23)] square millimetre, with mid-adulthood SBP showing a higher contribution (relative weights: childhood, 12.5%; young adulthood, 25.0%; mid-adulthood, 62.5%). Similar patterns were observed for diastolic BP, pulse pressure, and mean arterial pressure.
Conclusions: Blood pressure at each life stage contributes equally to carotid plaque presence, with mid-adulthood BP associated with a greater contribution to plaque area. These findings underscore the importance of maintaining normal BP throughout life to reduce atherosclerosis risk and suggest that intensive BP management in mid-adulthood may help slow plaque progression.
Julkaisussa olevat rahoitustiedot:
The Young Finns Study has been financially supported by the Academy of Finland: grants 356405, 322098, 286284, 134309 (Eye), 126925, 121584, 124282, 129378 (Salve), 117797 (Gendi), and 141071 (Skidi); the Social Insurance Institution of Finland; Competitive State Research Financing of the Expert Responsibility Area of Kuopio, Tampere and Turku University Hospitals (grant X51001); Juho Vainio Foundation; Paavo Nurmi Foundation; Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research; Finnish Cultural Foundation; The Sigrid Juselius Foundation; Tampere Tuberculosis Foundation; Emil Aaltonen Foundation; Yrjo Jahnsson Foundation; Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation; Diabetes Research Foundation of Finnish Diabetes Association; EU Horizon 2020 (grant 755320 for TAXINOMISIS and grant 848146 for to Aition); European Research Council (grant 742927 for MULTIEPIGEN Project); Tampere University Hospital Supporting Foundation; Finnish Society of Clinical Chemistry; the Cancer Foundation Finland; pBETTER4U_EU (Preventing obesity through Biologically and b Ehaviorally Tailored in TERventions for you; project number: 101080117); CVDLink (EU grant no. 101137278) and the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation. Dr Magnussen was supported by a National Heart Foundation of Australia Future Leader Fellowship (100849) and a National Health and Medical Research Council investigator grant (APP1176494). Dr Meng's contribution to this work has been co-funded by the European Union s Horizon Europe Framework program for research and innovation 2021-2027 under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 101126611.
