More than one billion people have high blood pressure worldwide. Around 30-45% of adults are affected, rising to more than 60% of people over 60 years of age.
High blood pressure is the leading global cause of premature death, accounting for almost 10 million deaths in 2015. Of those, 4.9 million were due to ischemic heart disease and 3.5 million were due to stroke.
Japan alone has more than 10 million people with high blood pressure, and the number continues to rise.
In a recent study at Hokkaido University, researchers found that working men with higher incomes are more likely to develop high blood pressure.
They suggest men with higher incomes need to improve their lifestyles to prevent high blood pressure.
Steps include eating healthily, exercising, and controlling weight. Alcohol should be kept to moderate levels and binge drinking avoided.
The study was presented at the 84th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Japanese Circulation Society. One author is Dr. Shingo Yanagiya.
In the study, the team examined the relationship between household income and high blood pressure in Japanese employees.
A total of 4,314 staff (3,153 men and 1,161 women) with daytime jobs and normal blood pressure were enrolled in 2012 from 12 workplaces.
Workers were divided into four groups according to annual household income: less than 5 million, 5 to 7.9 million, 8 to 9.9 million, and 10 million or more Japanese yen per year.
The researchers examined the association between income and developing high blood pressure over a two-year period.
Compared to men in the lowest income category, men in the highest income group were nearly twice as likely to develop high blood pressure.
Men in the 5 to 7.9 million and 8 to 9.9 million groups had a 50% higher risk of developing high blood pressure compared to men with the lowest incomes, although the positive association did not reach statistical significance in the 8 to 9.9 million group.
In women, there was no strong link between income and blood pressure. However, women with higher household incomes tended to have a lower risk of developing high blood pressure.
The team says men with high-paying daytime jobs are at particular risk of high blood pressure.
This applies to men of all ages, who can greatly decrease their chance of a heart attack or stroke by improving their health behaviors.
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