Cardiovascular risk markers in apparently healthy young adults: Evaluation according to optimal or non-optimal office blood pressure.

Background: Blood pressure (BP) is linearly related to the incidence of cardiovascular disease from values as low as 115/75mmHg, even at young ages. A particularly concerning issue is the decrease representation of optimal BP among children and youth. The mechanisms by which minimal elevations in BP increase cardiovascular risk are not defined. The limitations of office BP measurements could be a possible explanation since 24-h ambulatory measurements (ABPM) better detect the risk of future cardiovascular events. Therefore, we aimed to compare healthy normotensive undergraduate students with optimal vs. non-optimal BP: ABPM, the cardiometabolic risk profile, and echocardiographic characteristics.

Methods: Medical students from La Plata voluntarily completed a survey to collect personal and family data on cardiovascular risk factors. Subsequently, anthropometric, BP (office and ABPM), and echocardiography determinations were recorded. Cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose were measured in fasting blood samples. Statistical analyses were performed blinded, using SPSS software.

Results: Data from 135 students were analyzed (76% female, age 22.5±3.5 years). Mean office BP was 114.5±10.4 and 73.7±7.5mmHg. Forty percent of students had non-optimal BP (61% females) showing significantly higher BP values in all ABPM periods and higher left ventricular mass index, cardiac wall thicknesses, fasting glucose, TyG index, TG/HDL-c ratio. Seven students met diagnostic criteria for nocturnal hypertension, six of whom were in the non-optimal BP group (11.1% vs 1.2%).

Conclusions: Therefore, our study shows that apparently healthy young individuals with non-optimal BP, even if not hypertensive, exhibit differences in several cardiovascular risk markers compared to those with optimal BP.