TUESDAY, July 12 (HealthDay News) — Upward social mobility appears to help reduce the risk of high blood pressure in people who were born into poor or disadvantaged situations, according to a new study.

Previous research has shown that poor and disadvantaged people are at increased risk for high blood pressure, which contributes to heart disease and stroke.Swedish researchers looked at health and socioeconomic data collected from 12,000 same-sex twins who were born between 1926 and 1958. High blood pressure was more common among adults with low socioeconomic status, with a 42 percent increased risk among this group. other factors associated with high blood pressure rates included: being born to parents with low socioeconomic status, having a low birth weight, being short in stature, weighing more and drinking more alcohol.

But people with low socioeconomic status who moved up in society reduced their risk of high blood pressure by nearly 20 percent, compared to those who stayed on the lower rungs of society across two generations, the investigators found.

The findings suggest that adults who were born poor or disadvantaged can reduce their risk of high blood pressure by improving their social status, Lovisa Hogberg, of the medical epidemiology and biostatistics department at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and colleagues concluded.

The study was released in the July 12 online edition of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

The American Academy of Family Physicians outlines ways to lower your blood pressure.

– Robert Preidt

SOURCE: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, news release, July 11, 2011

Last Updated: July 12, 2011

Bettering Social Status Lowers High Blood Pressure Risk

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Identifying and Managing Factors That Interfere with or Worsen Blood Pressure Control (Postgraduate Medicine)Abstract: Hypertension is a major risk factor for ischemic heart disease, stroke, and heart failure. Even moderate blood pressure (BP) elevation can have a significant impact on outcomes. Maintaining BP within recommended levels significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Yet, more than one-third of people receiving treatment for hypertension in the United States have uncontrolled BP. When faced with a patient whose BP is no longer controlled, clinicians need to develop a differential diagnosis of potential contributing factors. These factors may include BP measurement issues, poor adherence to antihypertensive medications, therapeutic inertia on the part of clinicians, lifestyle changes, secondary causes of hypertension, or ingestion of substances that interfere with BP control. Patients who demonstrate a deterioration in BP control should be questioned about adherence, recent changes to diet and lifestyle, signs and symptoms of secondary causes of hypertension, and use of any concomitant medications or other substances that may be known to increase BP or interfere with antihypertensive therapy. Common substances that can interfere with BP control include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), oral contraceptives, glucocorticoids, antidepressants, decongestants, alcohol, or other stimulants like cocaine and methamphetamines. Because of the high prevalence of both osteoarthritis and hypertension among elderly people, NSAIDs are a common potential factor in this age group. In the face of worsening BP control, clinicians must actively investigate potential contributing factors and appropriately increase or adjust antihypertensive therapy.

Original Publication Date: March 2010