New research shows that if one partner in a couple has high blood pressure, the other is more likely to have it too.
This finding was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association and highlights how common high blood pressure is among couples, especially those who are middle-aged or older.
“Many people know that high blood pressure is common as we age, but we were surprised to find that in many older couples, both partners had high blood pressure,” said Dr. Chihua Li, senior author of the study and a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Michigan.
“For example, in the U.S., over 35% of couples aged 50 or older both had high blood pressure.”
The study explored how often partners in heterosexual couples shared high blood pressure in four countries: the United States, England, China, and India.
While earlier studies have looked at high blood pressure in couples from a single country, this was the first study to compare couples from both high- and middle-income countries.
The researchers wanted to understand if couples, who often share the same living environment, habits, and lifestyle, also shared high blood pressure.
The results showed that they did. The study looked at the blood pressure of 3,989 U.S. couples, 1,086 English couples, 6,514 Chinese couples, and 22,389 Indian couples. They found:
- In England, about 47% of couples both had high blood pressure.
- In the U.S., the rate was about 38%.
- In China, it was 21%, and in India, it was 20%.
Wives with husbands who had high blood pressure were more likely to have high blood pressure themselves—by 9% in the U.S. and England, 19% in India, and 26% in China.
Similarly, husbands were also more likely to have high blood pressure if their wives had it. The study found this pattern to be consistent across different regions, age groups, levels of wealth, and lengths of marriage.
Interestingly, while high blood pressure was more common in the U.S. and England, the connection between couples’ blood pressure was stronger in China and India. One possible reason for this is cultural.
In China and India, there is a strong belief in staying close as a family. Couples in these countries may influence each other’s health more closely, according to the study’s co-author, Dr. Peiyi Lu, a post-doctoral fellow at Columbia University.
These findings suggest that a couple-based approach could be helpful in diagnosing and managing high blood pressure. This could involve joint blood pressure screenings or programs that both partners participate in to help improve their health together.
The study used data from large surveys of aging populations in the U.S., England, China, and India. It focused on couples over the age of 50, with high blood pressure defined as having a systolic blood pressure over 140 mm Hg or a diastolic pressure over 90 mm Hg.
Dr. Bethany Barone Gibbs, a professor at West Virginia University, noted that these findings are important because high blood pressure is one of the leading causes of heart disease.
She believes this study highlights the need to look beyond individual treatment and consider how partners and families can work together to lower their blood pressure and improve their overall health.
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Source: American Heart Association.
